Five Costa Rica Regions on Yellow Alert as Saturday Rain Hits Soaked Ground

Five Costa Rican regions were upgraded to a yellow rain alert as storms hit saturated ground, according to the National Emergency Commission (CNE) and the National Meteorological Institute (IMN). The CNE moved the North Pacific, Central Pacific, South Pacific, Central Valley and Huetar Norte from green to yellow, while the Caribbean remained on green. The upgrade is driven by soil conditions: the Pacific slope is reported to be 80% to 95% saturated, so rainfall runs off into waterways rather than soaking in. From Thursday night to yesterday, the IMN recorded 20–50 mm in Guanacaste and Puntarenas, including 111 mm in Hojancha and 56 mm in Barú. No evacuations were required after Thursday’s incidents, mostly overflowing sewers. Today’s forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms expanding inland, with bursts of 30–60 mm in six hours and gusts up to 80 km/h.