QCOSTARICA – A cold push is expected to grip all of Costa Rica this weekend, with wind gusts of up 100 km/h and cooler temperatures.
The national weather service, the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN), explained that wind gusts will be at their peak in Guanacaste and in the upper parts of the Central Valley, due to the influence of the cold push number 16 of the season.
IMN weatherman, Daniel Poleo, explained that strong winds could prevail throughout the weekend and this Saturday rain is expected in the Caribbean and the north, which would lose intensity on Sunday.
In the lower parts of the Central Valley, the gusts will also be strong, thus the warning for caution against the eventual fall of branches, signs, and trees.
During the month of February, two people lost their lives due to falling trees. In Cahuita, Limón, on February 3, a 30-year-old Dutch woman died. On February 9 in Liberia, Guanacaste, a fallen tree and claimed the life of a 37-year-old driver.
The forecast is that the skies will remain cloudy over most of the national territory. Only the southern area will be exempt from the impact of the cold push.
According to IMN, the temperatures this weekend will be cooler, a couple of degrees Celsius below average. The strong wind will make it feel colder than the thermometer indicates.
For the Central Valley and the Pacific, no showers like those of Thursday afternoon are expected, because the strong wind prevents the entry of moisture from the Pacific, which causes these rains.
For their part, the National Emergency Commission (CNE) issued a green alert for the Central Valley, the Caribbean, the northern zone and the Guanacaste.
This entity asks the emergency committees and institutions to stay active and monitor the sectors with the highest risk.
The population living in risk areas is asked to keep informed and abide by the messages that are disseminated by official bodies.
Due to the strong wind, farmers and the general population are asked to avoid planned burns of any kind, as they can easily get out of control.
High waves
The Center for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology (Cimar) asks sea users to be very careful these days, as high waves are expected on both coasts, as a result of the cold push.
In the North Pacific, the waves will have a height greater than three meters from Saturday February 20 until at least February 24. Meanwhile, the Caribbean will register higher than average waves.
Due to all of the above, they ask the captains of small and medium-sized boats to be very careful, as rough seas will prevail even next week.
