Heavy winds turn deadly as fallen tree kills Guanacaste driver

What started off this week as complaints about unseasonably cold and blustery Costa Rica weather has turned deadly.

A man was crushed to death in Liberia, the capital of the northwestern province of Guanacaste, on Wednesday when a sudden gust of wind blew a tree on top of his vehicle, according to the Costa Rican Firefighters Corps. Strong winds blowing across Costa Rica this week have downed power lines, knocked over trees and sparked maritime warnings over high winds and rough seas.

Overnight Tuesday and on Wednesday morning firefighters cleared 16 different trees that had blown over and responded to 12 emergencies related to damaged power lines. The daily La Nación reported that 150 power outages were caused by heavy winds that also damaged roofs and blew over shipping containers.

Gusts up to 100 km/h

The National Meteorological Institute forecast gusts between 60 km/h and 100 km/h in the Central Valley and along the northern Pacific coast of Guanacaste this week.

The Firefighters Corps recommended people make sure their roofs are well secured, especially if the roof is made with zinc sheets or tiles.