The climate of Costa Rica: when to go to Costa Rica

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The climate of Costa Rica is tropical and sub-tropical. But the climate varies greatly in relation to the altitude, in fact in the areas of the plateau, between 600 and 1,600 meters high, where the largest inhabited centers of the country are located, the climate is temperate throughout the year. Here the average minimum temperatures vary between 14 ° C and 17 ° C, and the average maximum temperatures vary between 27 ° C and 24 ° C. In this part of the country the rains are concentrated in the months between May and November, while the dry season runs from December to April. In these areas, the annual average rainfall is around 1,800 mm.

On the mountains at over 2,000 meters the temperatures drop considerably with average temperatures between 5 ° C and 14 ° C and strong temperature variations between day and night. The coastal area of the Caribbean Sea is particularly rainy with an average annual rainfall of around 4,000 mm, here the rainiest month is December.

The driest region of the country is instead the coast of the Pacific Ocean which records an annual average of rainfall around 1,000 mm, with the rainy season between May and November, while the dry season runs from December to April.

The sea water temperature on both coasts of Costa Rica is stable between 26 ° C and 28 ° C.

WHEN TO GO TO COSTA RICA

The months between December to April are the best time to visit Costa Rica.

THE CLIMATE OF COSTA RICA: CLIMATIC TABLES

SAN JOSÉ (1172 meters)
Month	Average low (°C)	Average high (°C)	Precip. (mm)	Precip. days
January	18,5	28,2	6,3	3
February	18,7	29,1	10,2	3
March	18,8	29,9	13,8	5
April	19,1	30,3	79,9	10
May	19,2	28,8	267,6	23
June	19,0	28,2	280,1	22
July	19,0	28,2	181,5	20
August	18,8	28,3	276,9	22
September	18,3	27,8	355,1	26
October	18,5	27,1	330,6	25
November	18,3	27,2	135,5	17
December	18,3	27,9	33,5	8
YEAR	18,7	28,4	1971,0	184

SÁMARA, COSTA RICA (Pacific Ocean)
Month	Sea Water Temperature °C
January	27,3
February	27,9
March	29,0
April	29,3
May	29,4
June	28,8
July	28,9
August	29,0
September	28,7
October	27,9
November	26,6
December	28,0

PUERTO LIMÓN, COSTA RICA (Caribbean Sea)
Month	Sea Water Temperature °C
January	27,4
February	27,6
March	28,2
April	28,1
May	28,6
June	29,1
July	28,9
August	28,9
September	29,3
October	29,0
November	28,3
December	28,0