Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Salitrillos Costa RicaIn Salitrillos, the wet season is overcast, the dry season is partly cloudy, and it is comfortable year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 59°F to 76°F and is rarely below 56°F or above 79°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Salitrillos for warm-weather activities is from mid December to late March. Average Temperature in SalitrillosThe temperature in Salitrillos varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Berastagi, Indonesia (11,530 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Salitrillos (view comparison). CloudsIn Salitrillos, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in Salitrillos begins around November 24 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around April 8. The clearest month of the year in Salitrillos is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 62% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around April 8 and lasts for 7.5 months, ending around November 24. The cloudiest month of the year in Salitrillos is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 95% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Salitrillos varies significantly throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 6.9 months, from May 2 to November 29, with a greater than 29% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Salitrillos is October, with an average of 15.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 5.1 months, from November 29 to May 2. The month with the fewest wet days in Salitrillos is March, with an average of 2.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Salitrillos is October, with an average of 15.4 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 52% on October 5.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Salitrillos experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year in Salitrillos. The month with the most rain in Salitrillos is October, with an average rainfall of 6.5 inches. The month with the least rain in Salitrillos is March, with an average rainfall of 0.7 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Salitrillos does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 42 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 33 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 12 hours, 42 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:14 AM on May 29, and the latest sunrise is 44 minutes later at 5:58 AM on January 27. The earliest sunset is at 5:11 PM on November 15, and the latest sunset is 51 minutes later at 6:01 PM on July 12. Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Salitrillos during 2024. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. Salitrillos experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 7.7 months, from April 11 to December 3, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 12% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Salitrillos is June, with 11.6 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in Salitrillos is January, with 0.7 days that are muggy or worse.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed in Salitrillos experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from December 24 to March 31, with average wind speeds of more than 2.4 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Salitrillos is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.0 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 8.8 months, from March 31 to December 24. The calmest month of the year in Salitrillos is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 1.8 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Salitrillos varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the west for 4.3 weeks, from May 18 to June 17 and for 2.5 months, from August 19 to November 5, with a peak percentage of 54% on September 30. The wind is most often from the east for 2.1 months, from June 17 to August 19 and for 6.4 months, from November 5 to May 18, with a peak percentage of 46% on July 22. Water TemperatureSalitrillos is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water. The average water temperature does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 1°F of 83°F throughout.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Salitrillos throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Salitrillos for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid December to late March, with a peak score in the first week of January. Tourism Score in SalitrillosThe beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Salitrillos for hot-weather activities is from late January to mid April, with a peak score in the third week of March. Beach/Pool Score in SalitrillosMethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). Temperatures in Salitrillos are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.4 months, from January 31 to April 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.2 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Salitrillos is March, with an average of 6.7 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 5.9 months, from May 19 to November 15, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.3 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Salitrillos is October, with an average of 3.8 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Salitrillos are 9.853 deg latitude, -84.091 deg longitude, and 4,327 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Salitrillos contains large variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 2,516 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 4,849 feet. Within 10 miles contains large variations in elevation (6,545 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (12,490 feet). The area within 2 miles of Salitrillos is covered by trees (53%) and grassland (35%), within 10 miles by trees (45%) and grassland (38%), and within 50 miles by trees (48%) and water (21%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Salitrillos, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere is only a single weather station, Juan Santamaría International Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Salitrillos. At a distance of 20 kilometers from Salitrillos, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records. The station records are corrected for the elevation difference between the station and Salitrillos according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |