Rainy season in Costa Rica this year will begin one to two weeks earlier than in 2010, according to the National Meteorological Institute (IMN).
“There will be less rain than last year, but we should not let our guard down,” said Juan Carlos Fallas, the director of the IMN. “Rainfall will be above average.”
IMN said the early arrival of precipitation is caused by the La Niña phenomenon.
The estimated dates for the beginning of rainy season in 2011 are Tuesday in the South Pacific, April 28-30 in the Central Valley, May 1-15 for the North Pacific and May 16-20 for the Central Pacific. The Central Pacific is the only region that will enter rainy season later than usual this year.
Dates that rainy season has arrived in the past, on average, according to the IMN:
South Pacific: April 1-5
Central Pacific: April 26-30
Central Valley: May 6-10
North Pacific: May 16-20
