Costa Rica Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: San José, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, and Liberia
This month in numbers
Costa Rica experienced a June 2026 average temperature of 23.43°C, marking an anomaly of +0.5°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranks as the 29th warmest June in 86 years of records. Globally, June 2026 was the 3rd warmest on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline.
What changed
The three-month period from April to June 2026 saw an average temperature of 23.77°C, an anomaly of +0.5°C, ranking as the 18th warmest such period on record for Costa Rica. This continues a trend of warmer conditions, with 2025 being the warmest year on record for the country, at 23.79°C. Costa Rica's 12-month rolling anomaly places it 228th out of 234 regions globally, indicating it is experiencing relatively cooler conditions compared to many other parts of the world.
What’s driving change?
The primary driver of current and anticipated changes in Costa Rica's climate is El Niño. The current weak El Niño, with a +0.98°C anomaly in the NOAA ONI 3-month (AMJ 2026), is forecast to strengthen and persist through early 2027, with a 100% probability of El Niño conditions through November 2026. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to Mexico and Central America, increasing the risk of drought during the rainy season, particularly on the Pacific coast, the Central Valley, and the Northern Zone. This can lead to crop and water-supply stress. Costa Rica has also experienced an increase in heavy rainfall events in shorter periods, leading to extreme flooding and challenges in water capture, alongside longer dry seasons. In June 2026, Costa Rica was under a nationwide green alert due to heavy rains, saturated soils, and increased flood and landslide risks. Several named rainstorms, including Heilyn, Jimena, and Lucia, brought heavy rainfall to various parts of the country during June.
Looking ahead
Forecasters expect the current El Niño to strengthen from June through the end of the year, with its peak influence on Costa Rica likely occurring from October through March, bringing hotter, drier days and potential rainfall deficits of 10% to 30% nationally, with the Pacific side, especially Guanacaste, expected to feel the sharpest impact.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Costa Rica
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Costa Rica – Monthly Temperature – All Years
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Records – Costa Rica
Our World in Data / NOAA - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Am · TropicalCosta Rica doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 1.7°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 11× as much rain as the driest). So we track how the wet season has shifted instead.
Monthly rainfall climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Oct (+102 mm, +25%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Rainfall & Rain Days – Totals
Headline: anomaly vs the 1961–1990 mean. Small figure: the actual value. Rank: position in the full record (1st = highest ever). Record: highest (or lowest) value on record with its year.
Climate Systems
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Emissions & Energy
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Explore Climate Data
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 headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and 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.