Costa Rica Climate
Top 5 Cities: San José, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, and Liberia
This month in numbers
Costa Rica experienced its 31st warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 23.83°C, marking an anomaly of +0.4°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was the 12th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 23.5°C, an anomaly of +0.6°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
Costa Rica's slightly warmer April and significantly warmer February-April period align with a long-term warming trend for the country, which has seen an increase of +0.74°C since the 1961–1990 baseline. The year 2025 was the warmest on record for Costa Rica, at 23.79°C. The country's 3-month anomaly of +0.60°C places it 226th out of 234 regions globally, indicating that while it is warmer than average, many other regions are experiencing far more significant warming. Within the North America group, Costa Rica's April anomaly was 0.72°C cooler than the group average.
What’s driving change?
The warming trend in Costa Rica is influenced by , with the country transitioning from its dry season into the rainy season during April. This period has seen higher-than-normal temperatures, especially in the North Pacific, and drier conditions than usual across much of the Pacific and Central Valley. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) has noted that these warmer conditions, coupled with lower rainfall, are leading to higher heat indices and greater aridity in some regions. Wildfires have been a significant concern, particularly in Guanacaste province, where 227 forest fires have affected over 30,184 hectares in 2026, surpassing the total for all of 2024. These fires are often human-caused and exacerbated by dry conditions and strong winds. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but El Niño is highly likely to emerge in the coming months, with an 82% probability for May-July and a 98% probability for August-October. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to Mexico and Central America, increasing drought risk during the rainy season.
Looking ahead
The forecast indicates that El Niño is very likely to develop and persist through the end of 2026, suggesting a hotter and drier second half of the year for Costa Rica, with rainfall totals potentially 10% to 30% below normal, especially from September through November.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Costa Rica
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Costa Rica changing?
Costa Rica is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Costa Rica come from?
Climate data for Costa Rica comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Costa Rica climate data cover?
The Costa Rica climate profile covers San José, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Costa Rica
How often is the Costa Rica climate update refreshed?
The Costa Rica climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.