Meteorological Report #33

Costa Rica begins to gradually emerge from the indirect influence of tropical storm Sara

Sunday, November 17, 2024

10:00 am

Diagnosis: Tropical storm Sara maintains indirect influence over our country mainly in the North Pacific, where the sky remains mostly cloudy with intermittent light rains. The rest of the country has a slightly to partially cloudy sky with no significant influence from Sara.

In the last 6 hours, the rains have been of weak intensity in the North Pacific, some coastal areas of the Central Pacific and South Pacific with amounts between 1-10 mm. In the rest of the country no significant rains were recorded.

In addition, storm Sara made landfall in Belize this morning, and the system is projected to continue moving in a northwesterly direction during this day, weakening as it passes over land, to exit tomorrow towards the Gulf of Mexico downgraded to a tropical depression or as a low pressure system.

Forecast: For the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon, Sara is expected to maintain influence over Guanacaste, generating mostly cloudy skies with intermittent rains of light to moderate intensity, with the possibility of heavier rains in mountainous areas and on the Nicoya Peninsula and surrounding areas.

In the rest of the country, local factors such as daytime warming and high humidity content will favor an afternoon with a more typical pattern for the season. The possibility of isolated showers and even thunderstorms is expected for the Central Valley, the Central and South Pacific and the mountainous parts of the Caribbean and the Northern Zone.

The estimated accumulations by region in the next 12 hours are detailed below:

North Pacific: ranges between 15 mm and 50 mm, with localized higher maximums.
Central Pacific: ranges between 20 mm and 60 mm, with specific maximums of 80 mm.
South Pacific: ranges between 20 mm and 60 mm, with maximums of 80 mm near the mountains.
Central Valley: ranges between 10 mm and 20 mm, with maximums between 40 mm.
North Caribbean and South Caribbean: ranges between 15 mm and 30 mm, with maximums of 50 mm.
Northern Zone: ranges between 10 mm and 30 mm, with maximums of 40 mm in the mountains.

It should be noted that higher amounts can be recorded in a localized manner in each respective region.

⚠ Attention: The rainy pattern due to the indirect influence of this tropical cyclone will continue until this Sunday in the North Pacific. The rest of the country is outside the influence of Sara, however, the occurrence of isolated showers in the afternoon is likely due to factors inherent to the season.

Warning: High soil saturation remains in much of the country, with saturation levels between 90% and 100%. Therefore, there is a high probability of flooding in vulnerable places, mainly in the low-lying regions of the Pacific, landslides in the mountains of the Pacific, in the west and east of the Central Valley, in the Northern Zone, the Tilarán Mountain Range and those in the western Caribbean.

Due to the above, the IMN recommends:

Pay attention to the overflow of streams and rivers with high flows.
Be alert in places prone to landslides.
Prevention against electrical storms and seek shelter in a safe place in case of occurrence or perception of strong gusts of wind near storm clouds, due to the possible fall of tree branches, power lines, among others. These gusts can reach 80 km/h in some isolated cases.
Stay informed through social networks, Twitter: @IMNCR, Facebook: Instituto Meteorológico Nacional CR and the WEB Page: www.imn.ac.cr

Next report: Sunday, November 17 at 4 p.m.

Roberto Vindas

Meteorologist

DMSA-IMN

---