Costa Rica Climate Tweet

By Jason Sumner - Please Recommend This!

Costa Rica is a tropical paradise lying about 10 degrees North latitude. Since the country is so close to the equator, you would think that the seasons would be about the same all year round. But Costa Rica has definite seasons, though not the typical seasons that most people envision when you mention seasons. Costa Rican seasons are dry and wet. The locals call these seasons 'Verano' (summer) or dry season and 'Invierno' (winter) or wet season. Verano occurs from December to April and the Invierno occurs from May to November. The terms take some getting used to for visitors to whom summer is hot and winter is cold, and both are buffered by transitional temperature changes called spring and autumn. For most people summer is June-August, in Costa Rica it is December-April, while winter is typically thought of as December-February, in Costa Rica winter is May-November. The coolest temperatures of the year can fall during Verano-the Costa Rican 'summer'. The Costa Rican terms do not fit into this conventional terminology for the new Costa Rican resident, and it is easier to adopt the local terminology of Verano and Invierno.

The differences in these two seasons can be extreme, though the temperature doesn't change all that much. The average annual temperature for most of the country is in the mid 20's C (70's F) degree range, with the coastlines averaging higher temperatures (close to 30 C (90 F)) and the mountain peaks being somewhat frigid. While, most people who live in America think of climate changes as you travel North-South, in Costa Rican climate, the changes occur as you climb in altitude. A few thousand foot climb in altitude can result in moving from a humid, tropical climate to a temperate, moderate climate. Places like the Nicoya peninsula offer both choices within a relatively short distance-as the crow flies. (Or in Costa Rica- as the toucan flies)

Costs Rica is surrounded by oceans and bisected by a mountain range, both of which greatly affect the weather patterns within the small geographical region. The trade winds which blow in off of the Pacific Ocean bring lots of moisture to the country. As this moist air rises to clear the mountains it cools, which causes torrential rains to fall on the Pacific slope of the mountains. The Caribbean slope encounters the same phenomenon and can see days of continuous rain during the rainy season. In between these slopes is the Central Valley region, where most of the population lives and enjoy a moderate climate, with less extreme seasonal changes.

Costa Rican weather is controlled by its geography, and there are many microclimates within the general framework of the climate. The Northwest Forests in Guanacaste Province are deciduous, not because of seasonal temperature changes, but because of the seasonal moisture variations. These forests lose their leaves in the dry season to retain moisture, and remind visitors of the deciduous forests of the Northern climes of America, except they drop their leaves in summer. Though the Nicoya peninsula may receive 4-6 feet of rainfall a year, there may be a several month stretch during the dry season when no rain falls. During the rainy season, with it's torrential downpours, the roads can be impassable, but you're living in paradise, so you probably don't have anywhere better to go anyway. But you do need to plan for this period of limited mobility.

Costa Rican weather is also at the mercy of the weather phenomenon known as 'El Nino'. This semi-periodic event is characterized by warmer, drier weather along the Pacific coasts of nations North of the equator. The effects to the Costa Rican weather can be dramatic, intensifying the dry season and may be devastating to the agriculture in the region.

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