Puntarenas climate
Puntarenas (Costa Rica) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C83 °F, and about 1,518 mm60 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Puntarenas climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3289 | 2475 | 2882 | 140.6 |
| Feb | 3392 | 2476 | 2984 | 80.3 |
| Mar | 3595 | 2577 | 3086 | 100.4 |
| Apr | 3594 | 2678 | 3086 | 481.9 |
| May | 3290 | 2679 | 2984 | 1987.8 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2678 | 2882 | 1907.5 |
| Jul | 3087 | 2678 | 2882 | 1505.9 |
| Aug | 3087 | 2578 | 2882 | 1867.3 |
| Sep | 3085 | 2577 | 2781 | 25910 |
| Oct | 2984 | 2577 | 2781 | 28811 |
| Nov | 2985 | 2476 | 2781 | 1325.2 |
| Dec | 3187 | 2475 | 2781 | 341.4 |
| Year | 3595 | 2475 | 2883 | 1,51860 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71% | 47% | 5.5 | 11:36 |
| Feb | 65% | 37% | 6.3 | 11:48 |
| Mar | 61% | 41% | 6.5 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 64% | 69% | 5.8 | 12:20 |
| May | 76% | 85% | 4.9 | 12:35 |
| Jun | 83% | 87% | 4.8 | 12:42 |
| Jul | 82% | 87% | 4.7 | 12:39 |
| Aug | 82% | 87% | 4.8 | 12:27 |
| Sep | 85% | 85% | 4.9 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 87% | 87% | 4.4 | 11:53 |
| Nov | 85% | 79% | 4.4 | 11:39 |
| Dec | 79% | 59% | 4.9 | 11:33 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Puntarenas is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 35 °C94 °F and a low of 26 °C78 °F. The coldest is November, when highs average 29 °C85 °F and lows 24 °C76 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.2 °C5.7 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,518 mm60 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is August–October, which brings 48% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January–March. The wettest month is October (288 mm11 in), the driest is February (8 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 61% in March to 87% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 37%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in July to 11 km/h (7 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Puntarenas
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December and January: average highs of 31 °C87 °F to 32 °C89 °F with 14 mm0.6 in to 34 mm1.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is very wet (288 mm11 in) and humid (87% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Puntarenas
- Wetter months (May–November) — highs 2984 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 2476 to 26 °C79 °F, about 200 mm7.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (December–April) — highs 3187 to 35 °C95 °F, lows 2475 to 26 °C78 °F, about 23 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Puntarenas compares
Compared with San José, about 83 km to the east, Puntarenas is on average 7.8 °C14.1 °F warmer and receives 15% less precipitation (1,518 mm60 in vs 1,794 mm71 in). The difference is largest in February (8.5 °C15.2 °F warmer).
Of the 4 places in Costa Rica covered by World Climates, Puntarenas is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Costa Rica climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Vĩnh Long (Vietnam, Aw), Mỹ Tho (Vietnam, Aw) and Trảng Bàng (Vietnam, Aw).
Nearby places
- San José 83 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,794 mm71 in
- Upala 104 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,466 mm58 in
- Guápiles 118 km · 25 °C78 °F · 2,265 mm89 in
- Masaya 261 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,453 mm57 in
- Managua 285 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,453 mm57 in
- Matagalpa 349 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,196 mm47 in
- León 353 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,451 mm57 in
- Chinandega 387 km · 29 °C83 °F · 1,451 mm57 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Puntarenas?
April is the warmest month in Puntarenas, with an average high of 35 °C (94 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (78 °F).
What is the coldest month in Puntarenas?
November is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
When does it rain the most in Puntarenas?
October is the wettest month with about 288 mm (11.3 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 8 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Puntarenas?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December and January.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 174 m, while Puntarenas lies at about 1 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.1 °C2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.