Costa Rica is a small tropical country with an area of approximately 50,200 sq. km centered at 10 deg N. Latitude and 84 deg. W. Longitude. Four mountain ranges run from the northwest to the southeast across the center of the country separating the Altantic and Pacific regions. The Cordillera de Guanacaste and Cordillera de Tilaran to the northwest attain average heights of 1000-1500 m with a few peaks reaching 1900 m, while the central and southeastern mountains (Cordillera Central and Cordilla de Talamanca) attain average heights of 2000 – 3000 m with many peaks reaching 3300 to 3800 m. The drier season in Costa Rica is generally acknowledged to extend from December to April with the wetter season extending from May through November. However, the extent of the seasons and the precipitation measured in various parts of the country can vary considerably due to significant terrain interaction. Presented below are monthly composites of Costa Rica and the surrounding region since data collection began in December 1996. Notice the interannual and intraseasonal variations.
December 1996, January and February 1997 include bi-hourly data from 0015-2215 UTC. All other months include hourly data from 0015-2315 UTC. n=sample size
March 1997 includes bi-hourly data from 0015-2215 UTC. All other months include hourly data from 0015-2315 UTC. n=sample size
All months include hourly data from 0015-2315 UTC. n=sample size
All months include hourly data from 0015-2315 UTC. n=sample size