Rainy season to start earlier than normal in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s rainy season will start early this year, meteorological experts predicted.

According to their forecasts, rainy season will arrive between March 27 and 31 in the South Pacific; between April 26 and 30 in the Central Pacific; between May 6 and 10 in the Central Valley and the North Zone; between May 11 and 15 in the Nicoya Peninsula; and between May 16 and 20 in the North Pacific.

The Caribbean, meanwhile, is projected to have drier-than-normal conditions over that period.

“We must remember that our rainy season is characterized by heavy downpours, which are usually accompanied by lightning and, in some cases, even hail and whirlwinds. Therefore, the population is called upon to be attentive to the weather conditions, particularly in those places that are flooded repeatedly,” said Werner Stolz, head of the National Meteorological Institute (IMN).

The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season is forecast to be less active than an extraordinary 2020, which featured 30 named storms.

Still, the experts predicted an above-average season with 15 to 2o named storms, including at least 7 to 10 hurricanes.

In 2020, Hurricanes Eta and Iota made landfall on the Central American isthmus, causing billions of dollars in damages and killing dozens of people. While neither directly impacted Costa Rica, their secondary effects caused flooding, at least two deaths and significant infrastructure damage.