QCOSTARICA – The months of September and October are the rainiest months of the rainy season. This year, it is expected that the rains will be far more intense than normal, mainly due to an above normal Atlantic hurricane season.
For this, the Comisión Nacional de Emergencias (CNE) – National Emergency Commission – is called on the population to take the necessary precautions in the face of the risk of floods and landslides.
This week, according to the national weather service, the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN), will be a taste of what is to follow in the coming weeks, forecasting that “the climatic variability in the country in the next three months will be strongly modulated by La Niña, with a warm but close to normal condition in the Caribbean Sea, while rainy conditions above normal are expected in the Pacific Slope, Central Valley and North Zone”.
Lidier Esquivel, head of the CNE’s Research and Risk Analysis Unit, explained that some of b between 14 and 20 named storms forecast by the United States National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), cyclones can approach Costa Rica, with serious risk of a direct impact, although the possible damage from an indirect blow cannot be taken lightly.
Read more: Tropical Storm Bonnie makes landfall near Nicaragua – Costa Rica Border
Earlier this rainy season, Tropical Storm Bonnie hit the country despite the less of an impact than expected, nearly 3,500 people were evacuated to shelters in the northern area of the country.
Lest we cannot forget Hurricane Otto in November 2016 and Tropical Storm Nate in October 2017, natural disasters never seen before in Costa Rica.
The hurricane season formally begins in June and ends on November 30; however, meteorologists have noted that in recent years the season starts earlier and tends to end later.
“The CNE carries out the maintenance and supply of the 82 municipal and regional warehouses located in Osa, Cañas, San Carlos and Parrita, providing them with sufficient supplies such as foams, food rations, blankets and other equipment depending on the area such as boats and electric saws,” indicated the institution.
In the next couple of months, people mainly in the Pacific and Central Valley should be attentive to rivers, streams, sewage overflows, and landslides and heed to the recommendations of the local municipal emergency committees, especially if there is a call to evacuate.
“When they occur (the evacuation calls) it is because there is indeed a risk situation that can directly affect you, your family or your friends,” Esquivel told La Nacion.
According to Esquivel, so far this 2022, there have been 2,868 flood incidents, the majority (251) in the canton of Quepos, followed by San Carlos, with 240 reports.
The IMN weather forecast for today, Wednesday, August 31, 2022:
“A typical rainy season day is anticipated for this Wednesday with hot conditions in the morning and downpours in the afternoon. In the early morning and morning, a slightly to partially cloudy sky is projected with possible rains in coastal sectors of the South Pacific and South Caribbean. In the afternoon scattered showers with storms are anticipated in the Central Valley, Pacific slope and mountains of the Caribbean and North Zone. Rainfall in the Pacific can extend into the early hours of the night.”
