Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - July 2025

During July, visits to this blog were received from the following 9 countries:

Each country is followed in brackets by the total number of visits received since records first started to be kept in November 2012.

From the time I started to keep track, the total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 137. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions - for example Puerto Rico - an unincorporated territory of the United States from which 1 visit has been received.

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

There is a so-called rainy or green season which generally runs from May to November. However, the season is typically interrupted for a few weeks in July and/or August by a so-called little or mini summer (veranito in Spanish).

This year, the little summer began in early July and carried on throughout the month. On several of the days without rain, otherwise calm air was periodically broken by sudden short lived gusts of wind. On days with rain, the rainfall was minimal. The amount was about 1/5 to 1/3 of that measured in July of the previous 3 years. 

During July, there was a fair amount of dust which travelled from the Sahara Desert across the Atlantic Ocean and over Costa Rica. This not only had an adverse effect on air quality but may have suppressed the build up of humidity needed for rainfall.

Information on current and recent weather conditions, climate change and more in various parts of Costa Rica can be obtained from the website of IMN: Instituto Meteorológico Nacional de Costa Rica (Spanish) or National Institute of Meteorology (English). IMN also has a Facebook page which may be of interest.

Atenas Is Our Choice

We've chosen Atenas in the Central Valley as our place to live while we explore Costa Rica. I was recently asked, "Why Atenas and not the beaches?"

We initially want to live in an area that is close to a lot of amenities and Atenas has that. The beach areas on the Pacific side will be great to visit but we may find the weather too hot and humid, at least until we acclimatize. The Caribbean side is another area we want to eventually explore.

For day to day living, it seems Atenas has everything we could want. It has a temperate climate with dry days and cool nights. Apparently, one can fine tune their micro-climate by moving up and down the hills. Atenas also has such natural beauty and culture. It's a tranquil coffee growing town. It's also close to universities, hospitals, the capital city of San Jose, and so on.

AARP claims it is one of the best places to retire and, as everyone knows, National Geographic claims Atenas has the best climate in the world. We don't want to be stuck inside all day with an air conditioner running because we find it too hot and humid outside. I would like to have a swimming pool for the hot days. The cool nights are a big plus to me ... windows open to let in the fresh air. Well, I guess the windows would be open all day and night anyway. No furnace and no AC!

There are two seasons in Costa Rica - rainy (May to December) and dry (January to April).  It seems like there are a thousand and one micro-climates though.