Heavy rains cause flooding in Ostional, Guanacaste

Visitors hoping to watch the massive sea turtle arribada in Ostional, Guanacaste on Wednesday found their commute slightly harder than usual — if not impossible.

Heavy rains Tuesday and Wednesday caused the Ostional River to flood, impacting the small beach town and nearby villages. The community of Ostional was “incommunicado” on Wednesday, the Ostional Wildlife Refuge said.

“The road to Nosara continues to be impassible with the river flooded,” a representative from the Ostional Wildlife Refuge told The Tico Times on Wednesday night.”

Conditions remained dangerous Thursday morning, the organization said.

Floods aren’t uncommon in Guanacaste, particularly during the rainy season. Last October, more than 1,000 people were evacuated after rainfall caused landslides and flooding in Nosara.

The area — and much of Costa Rica — is under a yellow alert from the National Emergency Commission (CNE) due to the heavy rainfall, and the National Meteorological Institute predicted “atmospheric instability and rains across the country” throughout Thursday.