ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio in February

Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio in February: 21% of days see measurable rain, 86°F average high, 51% of days historically clear (n=226, ERA5 2018–2025).

Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio in February is a mixed month for sun: 51% of days historically clear (n=226, avg high 86°F). The outcome varies year to year — check the early/late split below. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late February

Clear-sky percentage for Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio in February, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early February 1st–15th	52%	n=120	86°F
Late February 16th–end	49%	n=106	86°F
Full month average	51%	n=226	86°F

Sunshine & warmth in February

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio in February. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early February 1st–15th	100%	n=120
Late February 16th–end	99%	n=106
Full month average	100%	n=226

11.4 h median sunshine per day 99% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 21% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 51%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 100%. The 49-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio in February is genuinely mixed: 51% of days historically clear (n=226), avg high 86°F — roughly even odds. The outcome varies year to year; don't book if you need guaranteed sun.

Every month in Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month	% Clear	Sample (n)
January	37%	n=248	All destinations →
February ← this page	51%	n=226	All destinations →
March	34%	n=248	All destinations →
April	8%	n=240	All destinations →
May	4%	n=248	All destinations →
June	2%	n=240	All destinations →
July	5%	n=248	All destinations →
August	3%	n=248	All destinations →
September	0%	n=240	All destinations →
October	0%	n=248	All destinations →
November	4%	n=240	All destinations →
December	22%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio in February?

Sometimes. Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio sees measurable rain on 21% of days in February historically (n=226 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — not frequent enough to plan around, but not negligible either.

Is Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio good for sun in February?

It's mixed. Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio in February is clear on 51% of days historically (avg high 86°F, n=226 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — the outcome varies year to year.

How Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio compares in February

Head-to-head clear-sky comparisons against destinations travelers plausibly weigh against Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio this month — same passport tier, similar flight distance, both sides from the same 8-year ERA5 record.

→ Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio vs Cartagena in February — Cartagena is 56% clear historically
→ Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio vs Mérida in February — Mérida is 61% clear historically
→ Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio vs Naples in February — Naples is 41% clear historically

→ Costa Rica — Manuel Antonio live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in February — all destinations ranked by February clear-sky %
→ All destinations
→ Raw data (JSON) — buckets, n, source

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.