How much does it rain in Puriscal?

Guapinol Tree and blue sky
Guapinol Tree

"Little summer" is underway in Puriscal. In Spanish this is called veranillo or canĂ­cula. 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
Rio Viejo, Puriscal, Costa Rica

I took advantage of the dry spell and went for a walk, with our dog Spencer, on the other side of the river. I looked for rocks along the river bank. Spencer 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. Spencer found interesting things to smell, some of which I pulled him away from rather quickly. 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.

Costa Rica Dog
Spencer

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. 

pink flowering plant 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

Line of people for COVID shots in Santiago de Puriscal
Line of people for COVID shots in Santiago de Puriscal

The CAJA problem was resolved on Monday. We returned to the office and were notified that I am now in the system. What a relief! Now I can try again to renew my cedula. After visiting the CAJA we shopped in Santiago de Puriscal. I was surprised to see a long line of people waiting to get the covid injection. Costa Rica recently expanded access to a lower age group it looked like many were eager to get dosed. Unfortunately, the battery in the camera ran out just as I was taking photos from the car. The line extended several blocks.