THE WEATHER

The weather here is PERFECT.

Imagine the nicest summer day you've ever had, it's sunny, comfortably warm-hot (23-27 degrees Celcius), no humidity, with gentle warm breezes.  

This is the daily weather in the Central Valley, which has been ranked by National Geographic as having the Best Climate in the World. I'm sure this plays a role in Costa Rica being the "Happiest Country in the World" (see my posting: "Why Choose Costa Rica..."). The majority of homes don't have heaters or air conditioners, neither are neccessary, as it never gets that hot or that cold...   as I said, it's PERFECT!

The temperature does change by location, so it may be quite hot in one area, and a short drive up the hill and it will be much cooler, another few hundred meters, and suddenly it's misty rain. It's interested how the climate/temperatures change by region and elevation. Each region is fairly stable in their weather, so people often choose where to live based on the climate/temperature they prefer. 

Manuel Antonio beach



If you want to experience extreme heat, go to the Beach, those regions are HOT! It's usually in the high 30s-40s, scorching and humid. Our first time at the Beach, it felt like being in an oven, even the ocean water was hot. On the 3rd day of this heat, we couldn't handle much more, and were relieved to go back to the Central Valley.

In Costa Rica there are two seasons: Rainy: from May-November (winter), where it rains for most of the afternoon; and Dry: December - April  (summer).  I've only been here for the dry/summer season so my comments are based the summer months.

The town I live in, San Isidro,  is up a hill and cooler (low 20s) than I'd like. The days are pleasant but in the evenings you'd need a sweater. When I walk into town, it gets progressively warmer (mid-20s), and then going into the city, it'll be nice and hot (high 20s). We've actually had an unusal 'cold' streak the last week. The temperatures were in the mid-teens, with some rainy days, it was the main topic of the news. Now we are back to normal, and everyone is back to being the happiest people in the world!



Views of San Jose