Lots of Rain Now?! Getting Nervous-
 

Hi All,

Anyone in CR right now? I'm checking the weather cuz we are flying out Sat. am and looks like there is a ton on rain now and to come for the next week! Can we still do stuff?

I'm kinda freaking out, all our other vacation spots I've been before we've always had lots of sun and no worries of so much rain. We will start our 2 week trip in Arenal, can anyone sooth my anxiety, although nothing at all I can do about it-- Mother Nature is in control!

Thanks for letting me rant!

cookbound, don't worry about the rain. We went to CR 3 times, each trip in August, and every time the forcast looked terrible before we left. However, we always had plenty of sun and occassional rain when we got there. The only exception was Arenal where we had more rain than in the beach areas, so don't be discouraged during your first few days. Have a great trip!

Oh thanks Iza, that helps me!

I've been told to expect rain in the afternoon, but really no worries. We will be 3 nights in Arenal and 5 nights in MA and then the remainder of our trip in the Osa. I just want to enjoy the beach in MA that I've heard so much about and get some sun. Plus be able to do all the tours I have planned.

Thanks so much for your quick response! I can't wait to experience CR.

Cook -

We thought we were going to have rain all of last week and it only rained hard one day and didn't ruin a thing. We still were able to do everything we had planned. Don't worry about it and just enjoy.

We went almost two years ago, same time as you and the weather showed t-storms everyday, but we only got 1 night and a brief shower 1 day, so don't fret.

cookbound: Don't look at that forecast ... really don't!! A this time of year, it calls for rain each day and it's generally as you stated, daily rain in the late afternoon possibly continuing thru the night. Schedule your activities for early in the day when showers are less likely. You'll be up early ... the monkeys and birds won't let you sleep in! It started to rain yesterday at 2 pm, stopped a bit then started again overnight. It started to clear by 11 a.m. today. We generally don't have that much in one day at this time of year so it's been a strange weather day. Usually when a storm comes thru it really clears it out for the next several days. Just add another factor to the lush and green quotient! I hope Mother Nature smiles on your vacation! Have fun!

Lisa in Manuel Antonio

I have yet to find a reliable weather forecast for CR. Before my trip I checked the weather and basically it said thunderstorms every day of my trip. Well, it did rain, 3 times around 4-5 pm and several times at night but not even close to the drastic scenario the forecast said it would be! Have a great time and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time

It rains every day in CR. When I was there earlier this month we were affected by tropical storm Adrian and we didn't see blue skys for 5 days! It mostly rained for a few hours in the afternoons and at night. It was still hot and kind of fun swimming in the hotel pool while pouring rain!

In 4 years, we've spent a total of nearly 4 months in Costa Rica--mostly in the rainy season. I'd estimate that it rained about half of those days, but a little more during the night. And then, as others, have stated, just a bit in the afternoon. In all of that time, we have seen 3 downpours lasting about an hour each. We've been in Costa Rica during July when it didn't rain for a week or more--especially in Guanacaste.

cookbound, we just flew home from costa rica last night. were in manuel antonio, arenal, and monteverde. Every morning was sunny until after lunch. Frequently it began to rain after lunch. Therefore we learned to get up as early as possible, and get to bed by 11:00 pm. this is the best way to maximize your sunshine time in costa rica in the rainy season.

we live in southern california and my young adult children have been raised here, where it is mostly warm and dry. In costa Rica they were fascinated by the rain, especially the thunder and lightening, as it was different than what they were used to. It was one of their favorite experiences!

Also if you are walking in the rain forest or the cloud forest, if it is a dense forest, and only a light rain, the canopy actually acts as an umbrella and it's no big deal. Only when it's raining really hard do you really feel like you have to get indoors, or if you hear thunder/lightening coming close.

The rainy season is also the green season, don't forget.

We found Manuel Antonio to be hotter than the other places. Hiking was sweaty and uncomfortable here and a cooling dip in the Pacific was nice.

Monteverde was cooler than the other places. Actually we were cold at night in our cabin.

Here's how we worked it. If you do a 3 or 4-hour nature hike or adventure activity early in the morning, you are tired out anyway and can plan something more relaxing for the rest of the day. then even if it rains all afternoon you can still go to some nice places for lunch and dinner, and get your umbrella and do some shopping. sometimes you get some sun in the afternoon or evening as well.

I'll trade your rain for a week in Vegas with the 15-F degree increase to 105-F we have seen in the 3 days before we depart.

I'm leaving Sunday for CR. Not 2 weeks after I was offered a job teaching Spanish (my first year!) one of the chaperones for the school trip backed out...so I'm chaperoning 21 kids with 2 other teachers! Eek!

Anyway, I've been worried about the same issue. From what I've been reading, I'm expecting a little rain every afternoon and maybe a few other rainy days during the 19 days we're there. Is that accurate?

Also, in a few places, I've read about a dry period that happens in July or so. If I'm there July 3-21 do I have a chance of being there for part of that period or will we be leaving too early?

su: Yes, for a few weeks (+/-) in July the country experiences what is known as "veranito", or "little summer". Weather is consistently dry and rain is minimal. With any luck, it appears that you'll enjoy it this year! Have a great time!

Lisa in Manuel Antonio

I am just back from Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Generally, it was sunny during the day and it would rain around 3 PM very hard. I saw most of the rain in the San Carlos area.