Nicoya climate — normals and trends
Nicoya (Costa Rica) has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 26.4 °C and it receives 2,046 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is April (28.9 °C on average) and the coldest is October (25.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in October.
Nicoya averages 0 frost days, 271 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 192 rainy days per year.
Nicoya has warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.18 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 40.3 °C (on 21 March 1987) and the coldest 17.0 °C (on 28 December 1976).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
NicoyaGuanacaste Province
- coords
- 10.15°, -85.45°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
26.4°C
Average daily high
31.8°C
Average daily low
22.7°C
Annual rainfall
2,046mm
Sunshine / day
9.9h
Mean relative humidity
77%
Average peak wind
15.3km/h
Seasonal range
3.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
271 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
192 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
35.9 °C
Average feels-like low
26.1 °C
Average peak gust
37.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
359 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.5 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.61 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
40.3 °C
21 March 1987
Coldest day
17.0 °C
28 December 1976
Wettest day
356 mm
2 June 1958
Windiest day
41.6 km/h
3 January 2008
Strongest gust
87.1 km/h
28 January 1988
Hottest feels-like
44.5 °C
20 March 1987
Coldest feels-like
16.7 °C
20 January 1977
Sunniest day
12.5 h
1 June 2021
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32.1 °C | -0.3 °C | 22 mm | +14 mm |
| Feb | 34.6 °C | +0.9 °C | 4 mm | -3 mm |
| Mar | 36.1 °C | +0.9 °C | 7 mm | -5 mm |
| Apr | 35.6 °C | -0.1 °C | 14 mm | -24 mm |
| May | 33.3 °C | +0.4 °C | 153 mm | -79 mm |
| Jun | 30.9 °C | +0.4 °C | 361 mm | +28 mm |
| Jul | 31.9 °C | +1.4 °C | 162 mm | -90 mm |
| Aug | 32.4 °C | +1.9 °C | 201 mm | -69 mm |
| Sep | 31.5 °C | +1.3 °C | 363 mm | +8 mm |
| Oct | 30.4 °C | +0.7 °C | 383 mm | +21 mm |
| Nov | 31.0 °C | +1.3 °C | 144 mm | -4 mm |
| Dec | 32.0 °C | +1.3 °C | 26 mm | -3 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Nicoya?
Nicoya has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 26.4 °C and it receives 2,046 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Nicoya?
The hottest day measured in Nicoya between 1940 and 2025 was 21 March 1987, reaching 40.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Nicoya?
The coldest day measured in Nicoya between 1940 and 2025 was 28 December 1976, at 17.0 °C.
Does it snow in Nicoya?
Almost never: Nicoya sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Nicoya warmed?
Yes: Nicoya warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Nicoya?
The wettest day measured in Nicoya between 1940 and 2025 was 2 June 1958, with 356 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Nicoya?
The windiest day measured in Nicoya between 1940 and 2025 was 3 January 2008, with winds reaching 41.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Nicoya?
The warmest month in Nicoya is April (28.9 °C on average); the coldest is October (25.2 °C).
How much does it rain in Nicoya?
Nicoya receives on average 2,046 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 192 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Nicoya?
Nicoya gets on average 9.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,614 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Nicoya?
Yes: Nicoya has on average 359 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Nicoya?
In Nicoya, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.5 °C on 20 March 1987, and the lowest was 16.7 °C on 20 January 1977.
Compare Nicoya with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Nicoya