Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - January 2021

During January, visits to this blog were received from the following 13 countries and Hong Kong:

There were no new countries and the overall total since November 2012 remains at 130 countries.

My video "Landing at Juan Santamaría Airport, Costa Rica" posted to YouTube and to my blog on August 26, 2017 still attracts interest.  Since July 2019 the number of YouTube views has risen from over 4400 views to over 6400 views. Undoubtedly, most views are by persons accessing the video directly and not indirectly via the blog post.

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The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

The average daytime high temperature in January this year was about the same as last year. However, the average daytime low temperature was about 2°F (1.1 °C) cooler than last year.

We are in the midst of the dry season, so rainfall was minimal - only 1 day with measurable rain. This compares with 3 days having measurable rain in January 2020. However the amount of rain in January this year, although not very much, was more than 3.5 times that measured in January 2020.

The real weather story to be taken from January is high winds. While these winds, known as Papagayo Winds, are a regular occurrence at this time of year, their strength was unusually powerful in our experience. As noted in my blog post on January 29, 2021, they did some damage to our house. I might add that they also took down a fairly large tree in an empty lot behind our house. Here is a photo of the aftermath showing the tree stump and a few remaining log bits cut from the tree after it fell.

Part of our house appears in the background. Had the tree fallen towards the house, it probably would have come close to the property line but would not have reached the house.

(Click on images to enlarge).

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - February 2020

During February, visits to this blog were received from the following 21 countries:

There were no new countries and the overall total since November 2012 remains at 129 countries.

The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

In February, overnight low temperatures tended to be lower than in January. Daytime highs tended to be higher. This may be because there was generally less cloud cover. 

Colder overnight lows seem to be marked by lower overnight humidities. When the humidity drops, the ability of the atmosphere to retain heat build up during the day may drop.  Papagayo Winds continued with a vengeance.

Zero days with measurable rain - this is typical for the time of year.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - January 2020

During January, visits to this blog were received from the following 17 countries:

There were no new countries and the overall total since November 2012 remains at 129 countries.

The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

Compared to January 2019, January temperatures this year were a mixed bag. Average overnight low temperatures were a bit higher. Average daytime high temperatures were a bit lower. However, the hottest daytime temperature this year was lower than that in 2019 and the coldest overnight low temperature was lower than that in 2019. In fact, the coldest overnight low temperature (56°F, 13.3°C) in January 2020 was a record low for all the time we have exclusively lived in the Central Valley of Costa Rica in Vista Atenas near the town of Atenas and in Hacienda El Paseo near the city of Grecia.

With regard to rainfall, the amount in January this year was minimal and consistent with the so-called "dry season". However, there were 3 days of measurable rain (which is good for Costa Rica). Compare this with 0 days in January 2019.

January 2020 was also marked by continuing strong Papagayo winds - strong enough to blow down trees and throw around loose objects on patios, etc. These winds are nowhere near hurricane force but they are something that should be reckoned with.