Climate and Average Weather in Costa Rica

Because Costa Rica is located between nine to ten degrees north of the Equator, the climate is tropical year round. This means the average maximum temperature lies around 30.0°C (86°F) throughout the year. However, the country has many micro-climates depending on elevation, rainfall, topography, and by the geography of each particular region.

Costa Rica's seasons are defined by how much it rains during a particular period and not to the four seasons like in the Northern Hemisphere. The year can be split into two periods, the dry season known to the residents as summer, and the rainy season, known locally as winter. The "summer" or dry season goes from December to April, and "winter" or rainy season goes from May to November.

Thanks to its fairly southern location in Central America, Costa Rica has almost no chance of hurricanes. The hurricane route from the Caribbean runs just north of the country. Because neighboring Nicaragua is on a possible course of hurricanes, the indirect effects of a hurricane can be experienced in northeastern Costa Rica.

Interested in more detailed Weather and Climate information?
Please select the city below you wish to travel to, or the one closest to your destination. Each selected city will show you the following graphs:
1. Average minimum and maximum temperature over the year
2. Average monthly precipitation over the year (rainfall, snow)
3. Average monthly hours of sunshine over the year
On certain pages we also offer other historical weather data like humidity, wind speed and water temperature.

Popular places in Costa Rica

Select a city to see its average temperature, precipitation and hours of sunshine over the year.

Regions in Costa Rica