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-13 1 km (only VISible, unavailable on night). Updates each ½h.
Based on Costa Rica satellite images thanks to RAMMB and CIRA programs (Colorado State University).

* 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):
Sunday 28 August 2016 ☼☁ | ☼☁☂ | ☁
Partly cloudy to Cloudy | Possible Downpours & Thunderstorms
This Sunday in Costa Rica there will be typical conditions of the rainy season. In the morning there will be warm temperatures and humidity ingress from the sea, favoring an atmosphere of mugginess. In the afternoon there will cloud formations that will generate downpours and thunderstorms in the Pacific, the Central Valley, the Northern Zone and the mountains in the Caribbean. The afternoon rainfall can spread to the early hours of the night.

Early Morning:
Central Valley: Few clouds.
North Pacific: Clear.
Central Pacific: Little to partly cloudy.
South Pacific: Little to partly cloudy.
North Caribbean: Partly cloudy.
South Caribbean: Partly cloudy.
North Zone: Partly cloudy.

Morning:
Central Valley: Few clouds.
North Pacific: Sunny.
Central Pacific: Little to partly cloudy.
South Pacific: Little to partly cloudy.
North Caribbean: Partly cloudy. Possible rain in the early hours.
South Caribbean: Partly cloudy. Possible rain in the early hours.
North Zone: Partly cloudy. Scattered showers possible.

Afternoon:
Central Valley: Partly cloudy.
North Pacific: Few clouds.
Central Pacific: Partly cloudy with possible scattered showers in the highlands.
South Pacific: Partly cloudy with possible scattered showers in the highlands.
North Caribbean: Partly cloudy.
South Caribbean: Partly cloudy.
North Zone: Partly cloudy. Scattered showers possible.

Night:
Central Valley: Partly cloudy.
North Pacific: Clear.
Central Pacific: Little to partly cloudy.
South Pacific: Partly cloudy.
North Caribbean: Partly cloudy.
South Caribbean: Partly cloudy.
North Zone: Partly cloudy.


Temperatures (Max/Min ºC):

San José 26º/18º | Alajuela 29º/19º | Cartago 25º/17º | Heredia 27º/17º | Puntarenas 31º/21º | Liberia 32º/22º | Nicoya 32º/23º | Bagaces 32º/23º | Quepos 31º/22º | Parrita 32º/21º | Golfito 32º/22º | Isla del Coco 30º/21º | San Isidro de El General 30º/20º | Guápiles 31º/22º | Tortuguero 30º/21º | Limón 31º/22º | Sixaola 31º/22º | Ciudad Quesada 26º/18º | Upala 31º/21º | Sarapiquí 31º/22º

Source: Rebeca Morera (Meteorologist) - Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN)

Costa Rica Weekly Weather Forecast (11 - 17 January 2016)

Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN)

Sunny/Clear to Partly cloudy | Trade Winds
 This week will remain moderate trade winds in the Central Valley and the North Pacific. There will be very little rain throughout the week, due to the presence of a mass of dry air in the Caribbean and Central America.

Extreme temperatures will remain due to the low cloudiness: cooler conditions at night and very warm in the day, with peaks of up to 35 ºC in Guanacaste and 30 ºC in the Central Valley. On the other hand in the Caribbean region will remain with some morning rain in the mountains the second half of the week.

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

Costa Rica Weather in the month of November

Monthly Weather Characterization from IMN

 November is characterized by the transition from the rainy season to the dry season in much of the Pacific and Central Valley, as well as a more rainy period in the Caribbean region; this is due to the occurrence of an increase in the trade winds, and the distancing of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Rainfall decreases throughout the Pacific slope, the Central Region and parts of the Northern Region. The dry season is first established in the North Pacific (giving rise to the Tropical Dry Forest) and then in the Central Region. In the Caribbean, rainfall increases on the coast, but decreases in the mountains.

 November is characterized by the transition from the rainy season to the dry season in much of the Pacific and Central Valley, as well as a more rainy period in the Caribbean region; this is due to the occurrence of an increase in the trade winds, and the distancing of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Rainfall decreases throughout the Pacific slope, the Central Region and parts of the Northern Region. The dry season is first established in the North Pacific (giving rise to the Tropical Dry Forest) and then in the Central Region. In the Caribbean, rainfall increases on the coast, but decreases in the mountains.

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

Current Oceanic Influence 28 August 2016)

From USA National Hurricane Center Advisories

28 August 2016, 03:00 UTC
No Significant Climatic Disturbances
 The oceanic surroundings of Costa Rica remain with no significant climatic disturbances in this moment.

5

There are not significant climatic disturbances at this time. Satellite photograph of Central America (28 August 2016, 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.