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Climate

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Being a tropical country, Costa Rica average annual temperature for most of the country lies between 21.7°C (71°F) and 27°C (81°F).  The coolest months run from November through January, and the warmest from March up to May. The capital city of San Jose, stands at approximately 1170 meters altitude and has an approximate annual temperature of 20.6°C.


The climate of the country is typically divided in two seasons: rainy and dry. The dry season runs from January through May and the rainy season from June to December. Locally the seasons were named during colonial times by early Spanish settlers who compared them to their own Mediterranean climate, naming the dry months “Verano” or summer and the rainy months “invierno” or winter.


Rainfall patters although seasonal, may vary deeply in intensity depending on the geographical area. Some locations may receive over 6 meters (18 feet) of rainfall per year, while others receive fewer than 1.5 meters (4 feet) per year. Most of the total rainfall for any given location in Costa Rica (about 70%) occurs on less than 15 days of a whole year, and will often be experienced as days of torrential downpour, thus holding the world record for the amount of rainy days at one site.  The country topography also influences on the weather pattern of a given location.