QCOSTARICA — This month, March, Costa Rica experienced its highest temperatures of the year to date, in particular the first week.
The national weather service, the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN), described the high temperatures as a ‘heat wave”, defined as a prolonged period of unusually high temperatures in a specific area, measured in comparison to the typical average temperature.
According to IMN meteorologist Luis Alvarado, there is the possibility of another heat wave occurring in April and May.
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“Due to the characteristics of the season, they are the hottest months, we also have the El Niño phenomenon, the sun from above and climate change, together they lower the speed of the winds and increase the temperatures,” Alvarado explained.
“They are expected to establish the necessary conditions for consistent heat waves to occur. We anticipate that this pattern may occur again, possibly lasting longer and with more intensity than the initial event, which lasted 3 to 4 days,” he added.
The areas with the highest temperatures will be Central Valley and Guanacaste, with the thermometer reaching 41 degrees Celsius so far.
From January to March, IMN data reflect temperature variations ranging from 3°C to 8°C higher.
The historical record is 43°C in Puntareans. Experts believe this year or in the coming years, we can easily surpass it.
Another unusual occurrence this year is the unexpected showers. Despite still being in the ‘dry’ season, rainfall has been observed in various regions of the country, such as the southern zone, coinciding with high temperatures.
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The sporadic showers are brief and unexpected, catching many off guard.
What can we expect in the weeks ahead?
According to the IMN weather forecast for the coming weeks, we can expect warm temperatures and less rainy conditions in most of the country as a result of the presence of a dry air mass for the first week of April. For the Central and South Pacific, normal seasonal showers are expected.
During the second week, we can expect the very warm conditions to continue and very weak trade winds. It is also expected that the Intertropical Convergence Zone will begin to be closer, beginning the transition to the rainy season in the Central and South Pacific.
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In the third week, very warm conditions will continue as a result of the occurrence of the zenithal sun in the North of the country and very weak trade winds, however, the presence of greater cloudiness will favor less solar radiation and muggy conditions. It is expected that the Intertropical Convergence Zone will begin to be closer to the national territory. Rainy weather is expected in the South Pacific, and the rainy season will begin to establish itself.
The Rainy season
The IMN forecasts an earlier start to the rainy season in 2024 than usual in the Central and South Pacific regions of Costa Rica, while other regions are expected to have a “normal” start.
We can expect the state of the rainy season as follows:
- South Pacific: April 16-19
- Central Pacific: April 22 to 28
- Central Valley: between April 29 and May 8
- North Pacific: May 8 to 13
- Guatuso, Upala and Los Chiles: from May 11 to 13
IMN forecasts predict that the El Niño phenomenon will transition into La Niña in the latter part of the year, resulting in above-average rainfall of up to 15% across the country. However, the Caribbean and Northern regions are expected to experience a deficit in rainfall.
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