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The climate of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a country situated in the middle of Central America,
bordering on Honduras in the north and Costa Rica in the south.
Altogether Nicaragua has well over nine-hundred kilometers of coast
line, of which about two-third lies along the Caribbean. The climate
of Nicaragua consists of a variation of the three tropical climates.
The north-west and the east have a tropical rainforest climate, the
central part and the south-west are subject to tropical monsoon
climates and tropical savannah climates.
Climate information of places and areas in Nicaragua
The climate information on this page is only brief. Specific
information about weather and climate can be found on the climate
pages per area or town. As for Nicaragua the following climate
information is available:
Mountainous areas
The mountainous area running through Central Nicaragua can be divided
into three zones. The ‘lowland’ up to an altitude of 750 meters
belongs to the warmest regions of Nicaragua. Whereas in the coastal
areas of Nicaragua the day-temperatures rise until just above thirty
degrees in the warmest months, it can easily get some degrees warmer
in the lower situated areas inland. Particularly in the hottest months
of March and April the temperature can easily rise to not less than 35
or 36 degrees centigrade. In the central highland, with altitudes of
750 to 1600 meters, the maximum temperatures are comparable to those
of the coastal areas.
The most elevated places in Nicaragua, called the “coldland”, measure
an average maximum temperature of approximately 22 to 24 degrees,
whereas the temperature at night may drop to an average of ten to
fifteen degrees. Nowadays it never gets so cold that it snows, however
there are reports about snowfall on the mountaintops way back in the
past. Due to climate changes it does not get cold enough anymore
nowadays to let it snow in Nicaragua. Therefore who wants to go on
winter-sports will have to forget about Nicaragua for ski-destination.
Rainfall
Nicaragua belongs to the wettest countries of Central America. The
amounts of rain on a yearly basis vary from a little under a thousand
millimeters in the driest places on the lee-side of the mountains
until well over six-thousand millimeters on the weather-side of the
mountains. The central part of Nicaragua has a real rainy season, in
which most precipitation by far falls in the summer period and the
period of November up to and including April is considerably drier. In
the north-west and in the east the differences within a year are much
smaller and generally speaking there is no question anymore of a real
rainy season or a clearly distinguishable dry period.
Hurricanes
Nicaragua lies in an area sensitive to hurricanes. The eastern half of
the country lies within the reach of tropical storms, tropical
depressions and hurricanes. During the hurricane season, that lasts
from June to December there is chance of heavy rainfall, storm and
tidal waves as a result of hurricane activity. However there is not
that much chance of a depression, developed into a hurricane, making
for Nicaragua at full speed, there is a considerable chance of heavy
rainfall, through which the large amounts falling within twenty-four
hours may lead to floods, mud streams and landslides. Particularly in
places where the tropical rainforest has had to give way to
cattle-breeding or because the wood has been cut for the export the
soil is more susceptible of water-related problems.
Climate figures
Scattered over Nicaragua you find different climate data and
temperatures. The data in the table below go for the capital of
Managua and cannot be considered an average for the country. Visit the
individual climate information pages for the climate data of other
places in Nicaragua.
More climate information
Climate figures come in handy, but do not offer a complete impression
of the climate and the possible weather circumstances within a certain
period. How big the chance is of wintry weather, (extreme) heat or
hurricanes cannot often be found in figures. Therefore we monthly
offer useful extra climate information. The information below goes for
the capital of Managua. For information about particular areas and
places in Nicaragua please visit the specific climate pages of those
places and/or areas.
Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.
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= 0-5 mm ●
= 6-30 mm ●
= 31-60 mm ●
= 61-100 mm ●
= 101-200 mm ●
=
over 200 mm
