QCOSTARICA- The drought conditions in the Greater Metropolican Area (GAM) of San Jose and Guanacaste, influenced by El Niño, has caused average temperatures to rise by up to 4 degrees Celsius.
According to the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) – the national weather service – the average temperature for the rainy season in the San Jose area rose from 25C to 27C and in Guancaste up to 37C from 33C.
The severe drought has broken records in Liberia (Guanacaste), this year recording the driest ever since records were started to be kept in 1937.
More bad news. The IMN says that the drought is expected to continue into next year, ending possibly next May, the start of the 2016 rainy season.
“We will have a very hot dry season, higher than normal,” says IMN meteorologist Werner Stolz.
The expert said we can expect for the rest of the year similar conditions as for the past several months, with the exception of possible rain during the first two weeks of September, but not enough to affect the cumulative rainfall deficit.
Traditionally, September and October are the two wettest months of the year. Costa Rica has to seasons, if you will: the dry season between December and May, and wet season (some call it green season) between May and December.
In the Central Valley, afternoon rains have been present since Sunday, following two weeks of almost no rain at all.
