Dear Tom,
We will be vacationing in Costa Rica for two weeks in mid February and will spend most of the time on the Caribbean coast.
What kind of weather can we expect?
Kenneth Kaplan
Dear Kenneth,
You will be 2,300 miles directly south of Chicago, in the Central Time Zone, and immersed in a lush tropical climate. The days are partly cloudy, warm and humid with afternoon showers and thundershowers. Afternoon temperatures rise into the lower or middle 80s practically every day, and overnight readings hold in the lower 70s. And, by Chicago standards, it’s always humid.
Rainfall varies greatly across Costa Rica, depending on elevation and exposure to moist onshore winds. But the Caribbean coast receives about 135 inches per year (compared to Chicago’s 36 inches), and February rainfall is about eight inches (five times Chicago’s February precip).
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
