How much does it rain in Puriscal?

Guapinol Tree at the edge of the cliff in the backyard.

"Little summer" is underway in Puriscal. In Spanish this is called veranillo or canícula. The rainy season is May through mid-November. Every year, in the middle of Costa Rica's rainy season, a respite from the afternoon rains are expected in July. The dry period lasts anywhere from 3 to 15 or more days. The opposite weather patterns occur on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, where it is probably raining now.

Rio Viejo, Puriscal, Costa Rica

I took advantage of the dry spell and went for a walk with our dog on the other side of the river. I looked for rocks along the river bank. My boy let me know he wasn't interested in watching me look for rocks so I quickly scanned the riverside and then headed for the trail through our property. I took a couple of photos along the way and admired blooming flowers. Water was falling over the rock wall at the big spring and the creek was in full flow. All of the cares of the world disappear when I'm out there.

The Veranillo is one of the prettiest times of year in Puriscal. Everything is lush and green, the skies are blue and it's warm, but not too hot. The little summer has lasted for eleven days so far this year. I have been keeping track of rain accumulations since 2012. Here are rainfall statistics for our microclimate in Puriscal. 

Monthly averages, in inches, from 2012 through June 2021

January - 0.4"

February - 0.8"

March - 1.6"

April - 8.3"

May - 11.9"

June - 10.8"

July - 5.3"

August - 9.2"

September - 12.9"

October - 16.2"

November - 7.6"

December - 2.2"

Yearly Average - 81.8"

Rainiest Year - 2020 - 107.6"

Lowest Rainfall Year - 2019 - 67.8"

Rainiest Month - October 2017 - 24.2" 

No rain January 2015 and 2017, February 2016 and December 2018

Record Daily Rainfall - October 5, 2017 - 6.6" and the day prior it rained 6"

Longest Without Rain - Summer of 2018 - 47 days