Rain rain

I come from dry places. I am relatively new at motherhood. I am relatively new to Costa Rica. Therefore, the first downpours to trap me — along with a husband, a 3-year-old and a newborn — inside our small San José apartment filled me with dread.

La Niña typically causes an increase in rainfall in the Costa Rica's Central and Southern Pacific, and a decrease in rainfall in the southern Caribbean, according to the National Meteorological Institute (IMN).

An increase in rainfall expected for August due to La Niña weather phenomenon did not occur. But meteorologists expect the rainy season to pick up soon.

A noticeable decrease in rainfall prompted National Emergency Commission officials on Thursday to give the green light for hundreds of families in six shelters to return to their homes in the northern and Caribbean regions of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica's National Emergency Commission issued a yellow alert – the second highest advisory level – on Sunday for the country's Northern Zone and Caribbean coast, following heavy rains that have flooded rivers and homes and caused landslides in these areas.

The National Meteorological Institute warned of heavy rain and electrical storms with gusty winds along the Pacific Coast, the Central Valley, Northern Zone and the mountains of the Caribbean during the next two days. These areas could see between 2 and 6 inches of rain by Thursday morning, according to IMN’s forecast.

After months of drought, President Luis Guillermo Solís declared a national emergency in the province of Guanacaste and other cantons across the country on Tuesday. The drought in the northwestern province has been the worst in more than 50 years, according to the National Meteorological Institute.