RICO’s Q — A new cold front or surge (lost count, I think it’s number 17 this season) will bring rain, strong winds, and cooler temperatures to Costa Rica, according to the national weather service, the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN).
Starting today, Monday, a significant increase in wind is expected, with gusts estimated between 75 km/h and 110 km/h in the North Pacific, and between 50 km/h and 75 km/h in the Central Valley.
Last Saturday night, it even rained—really rained for a short time—in several parts of the capital, and the national soccer classic was affected by the downpour. In Costa Rica, two things you don’t mess with one’s mother and futbol (soccer).
The IMN does not rule out the possibility of isolated showers in various parts of the country.
Summer typically ends around April to mid-May. But this year, we will go from the last rainy season to the next rainy season, skipping summer.
For those who know me personally, know that on Sundays, you can find me at the Santa Ana ‘Feria de el Agricultor’ (farmer’s market) with my pizza stand.
This “summer”, in December, I had to replace two of the three canopies when wind gusts got the better of me, and since, including last week (not taking chances), I had to reinforce the tie-downs that include two old car batteries (compact and heavy) and two cinder blocks (bulky, but do the job).
The market opens at 5 am—yeah, some folks really do crave pizza that early—but don’t worry, we’ve got plenty more, like calzone, great bread, brownies, espresso coffee, ‘bombos’, and more, it has been frickin cold until the sun stares down on us, and on a few occasions have had to deal with mid-day downpours.
The official weather forecast forMonday, February 23, 2026
This Monday, cold surge #17 is in the Caribbean Sea, again increasing the winds in Costa Rica, mainly in the north and center of the country. During the day, wind gusts of around 55 km/h are expected in the Central Valley and up to 85 km/h in the North Pacific. At night, they would increase to 75 km/h in the Central Valley and lower parts of Guanacaste, while, in the Guanacaste mountain range, they could exceed 100 km/h.
In general, in the regions of the Northern Zone, the Caribbean and mountains of the Central Valley, cloudy weather will predominate throughout the day, with drizzles and light rains in the mountains and a probability of occasional rains near the coast and the plains at night; Part of these rains will reach the mountains of the Central Valley. On the contrary, light to partial cloudiness will prevail in the Pacific regions.
Go to the IMN website for the latest Costa Rica weather info.