The Rainy Season is Here!
Like it or not, the rainy season is closing in. That means getting used to carrying an umbrella again.

According to the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) - the weatherman - the rainy season will start as expected all over the country.

For the Central Valley - San José area - this is the week. For the Pacific northern region it will be a week or two more, while in the Pacific southern region the change is already underway. The Caribbean coast does not have a marked rainy and green season.

The weatherman says that as the days pass the rain is expected to gradually increase come June and July. The worst months of the rainy season as September and October, when the largest percentage of rain for the season falls during those two months.

The IMN is predicting a lighter than normal rainy season, at least less rain than in 2004. The winds will be calmer that what has been historical for the season, however the temperatures will remain constant.

The IMN is also predicting 11 Tropical Cyclones, of which five will be Tormentas Tropicales (Tropical Storms), three moderate hurricanes (categories 1 and 2) and three intense hurricanes (categories 3, 4 or 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

The years most similar to this season are 1952, 1958, 1970 and 2003.

The beginning of the rainy or "green" season

Valle Central (San José and surrounding areas): May 10 - 20

Guanacaste (Pacific North): May 15-25

Central Pacific (Jacó, Quepos & Manuel Antonio): May 10-20