In this Daily: Tracing Green Season Weather in Guanacaste
Scattered clouds and cooler temperatures this morning in town, with that prevalent onshore breeze coming off of the ocean. It’s bright and lively, but never too hot, especially in the shade. Earlier this morning the bay out beyond the break zone was crystal smooth, and the swell is moderate, expected to pick up later in the day. Up on the trails, the light rains a few days ago have helped keep the trails smooth and clearly packed.
We’re in the heart of green season in Guanacaste, one of two seasons that the country faces in its on and off cycle that features six months of green, six months of dry. However, despite the fact that there is pleasant rhythm of life that settles in both during the green season and dry season, there’s an arc to these seasons month-by-month. We touched on this a bit in our Las Pintas blog, but we’ll go into a bit more depth here.
Month-by-Month | Tracing Green Season Weather in Guanacaste
The green season starts midway through May, marked by the arrival of the first scattered rains that begin to bring the foliage rushing back to life. At the end of May and in the early parts of June, the rainfall is the heaviest it will be until September and October, as the trade winds die down and the atmospheric moisture that had been held off comes rushing back.
This initial downpour subsides continues until midway through June, at which point average temperatures have dropped almost 10 degrees Farenheidt and the landscape has completely changed.
This is where we are currently, in a part of the year called Veranillo (little summer) de San Juan. July and August are characterized to be much sunnier and drier than May and June, while maintaining the same moderate temperatures in the low 80s. This is when we start to see the green season rhythm really starting to take hold, the same rhythm that can make this time of year one of the best to be in town.
Even though we’re very close to the equator and don’t see much difference in temperatures throughout the year, the arrival of “fall” brings with it the afternoon showers of September and October. Average temp drops a few degrees, and the more steady atmospheric conditions make for the heavier, slower rains that are prominent in these two months.
However, the effect of the earth’s rotation is far less impactful than the return of the trade winds in November (more commonly known as los vientos de papagayo), which once again blow warm dry air across the country and bring the return of the dry season.
But without getting too far ahead of ourselves, there’s some excellent weather inbound this month and the next.