Whether you like it or not the rainy season is now upon us. Anyone who is living in Costa Rica knows that there are more rainy months than dry months after all we do live in a rain forest.

While San Jose is not a rain forest, the Central Valley gets its share of rain like the coastal areas but on a more consistent schedule. When I decided I would be living in Costa Rica, I made sure I would experience what is was like to live in the Central Valley or San Jose. So I spent one year living in San Jose and it would start around early May when the skies would darken at lunchtime, it would raining for a few hours and subside at around 5pm.

It was very strange because it was as if God was giving us a respite so we could leave work and catch the bus home without getting drenched. The rains in the Central Valley during this time are like clockwork and people simply adjust their lives according to the season, donning waterproof apparel and shoes to handle large puddles of water and of course, the umbrella which is used everywhere by everyone.

Most people tend to change their schedules a little to try and have their errands completed in the morning rather than wait until the afternoon. This is not to say that it’s uncomfortable, it’s not, it’s still warm and it’s amazing to see how quickly green the country becomes.

For the coastal areas like the Central Pacific, where tourists and investors come to play and live in Costa Rica, the rain has a schedule that works with the sun.

In the morning, the sun heats up the air along the coast and pushes the clouds into the mountains where they stay for the entire day until the sun begins to set and the coastal areas begin to cool. Once the cooling start, the clouds begin to roll off the mountains and head towards the beach bringing rain each day around 6pm.

Costa Rica Rainfall & Temperature Information:

You can see the average rainfall in millimeters and the minimum and maximum temperature data for different areas in Costa Rica at the Instituto Meteorológico Nacionalwebsite here. Simply click on the location you want and, if you prefer to read the temeperature information in Fahrenheit, just click on the part that says Haga click para temperaturas en °F.

The pattern of rainfall keeps the lush mountains green with life giving plants and trees, then the clouds laden with moisture from the mountain tops gets poured onto the lower areas. It is truly magical to watch and understand this process because all of it fits together perfectly and provides us with beautiful locations like Jaco Beach.

The rainy season or invierno, usually runs from May to November but this can vary from year to year. Because the rain is a part of life here in the rain forest of Costa Rica, Ticos have created terms for rain just like the Aleutian eskimos have so many ways to describe snow.

For example, what we would call drizzle Tico would call it pelo de gato or “hair of the cat”. At times, there is a dry spell or Indian summer at the end of June, the Costa Ricans call this pause in the rainy weather the veranillo de San Juan), or the “little summer of Saint John.”

Some years there is a hot, dry period at the end August which they refer to as canícula which is a welcome respite in the May to November rains.

For more information about condos, homes and land for sale in the beach town of Jaco and surrounding areas please contact our Recommended Realtors in Jaco Shawn Fletcher and his wife Hannah Fletcher
using the simple form below:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.