Costa Rica Weather

 Costa Rica is located geographically only about eight degrees of north latitude of the equatorial line, thus Costa Rican climate is tropical all year round. However, because of the extraordinarily diverse amount of involved factors, the resulting country climate is a set of regional sub-climates. Therefore, the tropical weather of Costa Rica is greatly affected by its geography at the very local level. These factors include the totally heterogeneous relief (ranging from 0 to 3,431 m in only 51,100 km²) and the way as all its components (mountains, volcanoes, plains, valleys and plateaus) are distributed; the situation in respect to the two continental masses as American isthmus; the influence of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans (sea winds and ocean current with their own temperatures, besides low pressure systems, tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes) and the general atmospheric circulation.

Current Weather of Costa Rica - Updated Satellite Image

Latest Image - GOES-12 1 km (VIS/Infrared on night). Updates each ½h.
Based on Costa Rica satellite images thanks to Space Science and Engineering Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

* As the image time is Universal Time Coordinated or UTC (as before with GMT), subtract 6 h to get Costa Rica time.

Costa Rica
Location: 9°55'N 84°4'W (At the center of America, in the American Isthmus).
Subdivisions: Provinces: 7, Cantons: 81, Districts: 473
Area: 51,100 km² (19,730 sq mi) | Population: 4,563,539 (2010)

Main Climatic Subdivisions:
Rainfall Regions (Drainage Basins Systems):
     Pacific: Dry and rainy period well defined. The dry one is from December to April.
     Caribbean: Dry period is not well defined (less rainy months have 100-200 mm of rainfall.
Climatic Regions:
     Northern Pacific, Central Pacific, Southern Pacific, Central Region, Northern Zone, Northern Caribbean and Southern Caribbean



The only Official Information and Current Weather Reports in Costa Rica are from Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (National Weather Institute)
See its Current Weather and Forecast Report (In spanish, but is a graphically eloquent flash-animated map report):
Saturday 24 January 2015 ☼☁ | ☼☁ | ✧☽☁
Slightly to Partly cloudy | Trade Winds
This Saturday and weekend in Costa Rica there will be an increase of the trade winds, due to a high pressure system. At Saturday in the Caribbean slope there will be intermittent showers, mainly in the mountains; this condition of moderate winds will increase the likelihood of rain in the northern Central Valley, as well as the wind in the mountains. The North Pacific will have moderate wind conditions without rain; South and Central Pacific will have afternoon showers. It is also expected a decrease in daytime temperatures in the Central Valley.

Morning:
Central Region: Slightly to Partly cloudy, wind.
Northern Pacific: Sunny, windy.
Central & Southern Pacific: Partly cloudy.
Caribbean: Cloudy, rain.
Northern Region: Cloudy, rain.

Afternoon:
Central Region: Partly cloudy, wind.
Northern Pacific: Partly cloudy, windy.
Central & Southern Pacific: Partly cloudy to Cloudy, possible isolated rain.
Caribbean: Partly cloudy, rain.
Northern Region: Partly cloudy

Night:
Central Region: Partly cloudy, wind.
Northern Pacific: Clear, windy.
Central & Southern Pacific: Partly cloudy.
Caribbean: Partly cloudy.
Northern Region: Partly cloudy.


Temperatures (Max/Min ºC):

San José 23º/17º | Alajuela 28º/18º | Heredia 28º/17º | Cartago 22º/14º || Liberia 32º/22º | Nicoya 32º/22º | Puntarenas 33º/22º || Quepos 32º/22º || San Isidro de El General 27º/18º | Golfito 33º/20º | Isla del Coco 32º/22º || Limón 31º/22º | Guápiles 32º/22º || Sixaola 32º/22º || Ciudad Quesada 26º/18º | Upala 32º/22º

Source: Daniel Poleo Brito (Meteorologist) - Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN)

Costa Rica Weekly Weather Forecast ( 5 - 11 January 2015)

Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN)

Partly cloudy to Cloudy | Trade Winds | Dry Season at Central Valley and Pacific | Rain at Caribbean and Northern Zone
 This week will be very windy throughout the country. The passage of high pressure systems in the Gulf of Mexico and the intensification of the Azores anticyclone in the North Atlantic, makes Alisos winds be very strong in the coming days. Gusts are expected to reach about between 70-100 km / h in the mountains, and around 50km / h in the lowlands of Central Valley and Guanacaste.

In addition, the humidity will be very low, so there will be an environment of few clouds and dry in much of the country. Still, scattered showers will present both on the coast and in the mountains of the Caribbean, with occasional forays into the highlands of Central Valley, mainly in the form of drizzle and light rain.

Source: Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) - (Costa Rica National Weather Institute)

Costa Rica Weather in the month of December

Monthly Weather Characterization from IMN

 December is the month known for being windy in the Central Valley, North Pacific and in the mountains, besides having greater recurrence of rainfall in North and Caribbean Zone, however according to estimates in the IMN deficit conditions of rain are expected in these regions, between 10% to 25%.

The dry season is consolidated in the North Pacific and the Central Valley, which means that rainfall events will be very few and isolated. The end of the rainy season for the Central Pacific is estimated between 7 to 11 December, while in the South Pacific between 22 to 26 December

Source: Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) - (Costa Rica National Weather Institute)

Current Oceanic Influence (24 January 2015)

From USA National Hurricane Center Advisories

24 January 2015, 03:00 UTC
No Significant Climatic Disturbances
 The oceanic surroundings of Costa Rica remain with no significant climatic disturbances in this moment.

There are not significant climatic disturbances at this time. Satellite photograph of Central America (24 January 2015, 01:45 UTC). NOAA - National Weather Service

Sources: NASA / USA National Hurricane Center - NOAA / National Weather Service

Costa Rica Weather, General Description

 The seasons of Costa Rica climate are defined by the amount of rain that falls during a particular period of time. The year can be easily divided into two main periods or seasons, named by the local residents as "Verano", summer and "Invierno", winter. The "Verano" season is from December to April, and is the time of the year when there are more blue skies and few rains. The "Invierno" is the rainy period, from May to November, and during this time, in most locations, it rains constantly; with sunny mornings, sometimes cool, sometimes sweltering, and the rain coming during the first hours of afternoon.

The maximum rain quantity received is at the Northeastern lowlands, the Caribbean, near the Orosi Valley, Arenal and Monteverde areas, Talamanca Range, Osa Peninsula and Golfito (Southern Pacific) (annual rainfall of over 5,000 mm). Humidity is also higher on the Caribbean side than on the Pacific. The mean annual temperature on the coastal lowlands is around 80 °F (27 °C), 69 °F (21 °C) in the main populated areas of the Central Cordillera, and below 50 °F (10 °C) on the summits of the highest mountains. In the highest areas of Irazú Volcano (3,431 m) and Chirripó (3,810 m), temperatures sometimes can drop below 0 ºC.

The driest season of Costa Rica in most places is from December to April, while the rainy season is from May to November. On the Caribbean coast, however, December is by far the more wet month. The highlands areas are always cooler. The lowest elevation level in the country is the Pacific Ocean at sea level, the highest point is Cerro Chirripó, a somewhen glaciated mountain with an elevation of 3,810 m (part of Chirripó National Park). Even on a clear day, it is possible to see both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean from the top.