Climate Change Chart of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Overview of climate changes

Changes in rainfall

Averaged across calendar months, mean daily rainfall shows a difference of -5.11 mm/day compared with the earlier reference period. This unweighted mean of monthly means describes an overall difference, not a decrease of the same size in every month or a monthly rainfall total. The largest monthly decrease in mean daily rainfall occurred in December, with a difference of -15.37 mm/day. This is a daily mean comparison for that month, rather than a change in its monthly total.

Temperature changes

Averaged across calendar months, monthly mean temperature shows a difference of +0.36 °C compared with the earlier reference period. This is an unweighted mean of the monthly means, not a day-weighted annual average, and it describes the aggregate rather than implying the same change in every month. The largest monthly increase in mean temperature was in March, with a difference of +1.10 °C. This identifies the strongest increase among the supplied monthly differences; it is not a statement about daytime maximum temperatures.

Changes in sunshine duration

Averaged across calendar months, mean daily sunshine duration shows a difference of +0.15 hours/day compared with the earlier reference period. Because this is an unweighted mean of monthly means, it does not indicate that sunshine increased by this amount in every month. The monthly differences varied in direction: July had the largest increase, a difference of +0.73 hours/day, while April had the largest decrease, a difference of -0.71 hours/day. These are differences in mean daily sunshine duration for the named months, not measures of every day's conditions.