Heavy rains on Thursday afternoon affected the province of Heredia. One of the sectors hardest hit by rainfall was San Rafael, where the streets were flooded.
According to the Costa Rican National Meteorological Institute (IMN) only with Thursday’s downpour in San José (23 mm), the rain average for January has already been exceeded by almost 100%.
According to the forecast this weather will persist until Friday, and then a new cold front is expected to approach during the weekend,”
said the IMN, which also reported that rainfall was recorded in the Central Valley, Central Pacific, Southern and Southern regions of the Nicoya Peninsula.
There are two factors that are contributing to the occurrence of downpours in areas that by nature are currently in the dry season. The first is the La Niña phenomenon that has exerted its influence since September 2017, which has the effect of keeping the Intertropical Confluence Zone close to the country. The second is the cold fronts that are presenting this year with greater regularity and intensity, which not only cause rain, but also strong winds and lower temperatures,”
concluded the institution.
Due to these two factors, the conditions are being perceived colder and more humid than normal. And when will these climate anomalies end? It is very likely that the La Niña phenomenon will continue until April. As for the cold fronts, the season usually ends in February or March.