National Weather Service
Forecasting Rainy Season
Around the Corner
The Instituto
Meteorológico Nacional (IMN)
- national weather
service - is warning of
possible flooding and
other effects that will
be consequence of the
heavy rainfall that is
expected during the
upcoming rainy season.
The rainy seaons usually
begins by mid-May,
however, the IMN is
forecasting its early
arrival, as early as the
third week in April.
Juan Carlos Fallas,
sub-director of the IMN,
said yesterday that
torrential rains will be
the norm for 2008.
Fallas added that the
rain will fall for short
periods in small
targeted areas, causing
flooding.
"We estimate that the
downpours will be
similar to those of
1946, 1955, 1996 and
1999, however, the
difference is that now
there is more
vulnerability for the
population:, said Fallas.
Fallas explained that in
those years the
downpours mainly fell in
forests, fields and
plantations, that now
are built up areas,
flowing into sewers,
which quickly backup,
before going into the
rivers.
Fallas added that there
could be the possibility
of more tornados. In
2007 there were seven
tornados.
The IMN is predicting
that the rainy season
will begin in the
Central Valley, Central
Pacific, the Caribbean
and the mountainous
areas of the Northern
Zone the week of April
16.
The Pacific north (Guanacaster)
should see the
commencement of the
rainy season by the week
of April 26 and the
plains of the Northern
Zone around May 16.
Fallas added that in
some parts of the
Central Valley and the
South Pacific the first
effects of the rainy
season are already
present.
The reason for the early
season is due to the
effects of the La Niña,
which brings with it
lots of rain, in
contrast to the effects
of El Niño, which is
predominated by dry
weather.
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