Meteorologists are forecasting more afternoon downpours all over Costa Rica – except the Caribbean side – as the country heads into the wettest part of its rainy season, September and October.
Throughout the Central Valley, the Pacific coast and mountains, this period packs heat and blue skies in the morning, with temperatures up around 30 degrees Celsius and ominous clouds, with the likelihood of heavy rain and thunderstorms from the afternoon into early evening, according to Gabriela Chinchilla of the National Meteorological Institute.
“Limón (a province on the Caribbean) is ideal to visit now as it’s sunny practically all day. There’s a chance of sporadic rain too, but nothing like the Pacific and Central Valley,” Chinchilla said.
This week the Central Valley, where San José lies, in particular felt the rainy season begin to peak. Hail fell Tuesday over Cartago, the old capital, and Turrialba, both east of San José. On Monday, strong wind swept through parts of San José and Alajuela, damaging many houses and toppling trees.
The institute predicts the rainy season to end in early November in the Northern Zone, early December on the Central Pacific, mid-December in the Southern Zone and in the Central Valley.
–Alex Leff
