By November 29, roads were repaired and cleared in most areas. [14], The outer bands of Otto caused extensive damage in Panama; at least nine people died in various incidents related to the storm. [1] Concurrently, the system weakened to a tropical storm. The benefit of being at this latitude, and on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, is the wind is significantly lighter than along the Caribbean storm corridor where hurricane winds can rip off your roof. Osa Peninsula, Golfito, Burica and North Pacific Panama What does Costa Rica have to offer? the east of Costa Rica, and then almost always track north. While browsing the storefronts of Quepos/Manuel Antonio the other day, I saw this Hurricane History Map in an office window. This may require the installation of canals and culverts in some cases. However, you won’t normally see hurricanes form right at the equator. We’re Creating a Conscious alternative news network that we feel the world needs and we need your help! Even with all this tropical activity, somehow Costa Rica is spared year after year from a direct landfall. Otto damaged 1,700 m (5,600 ft) of power lines, resulting in power and water outages. Soon thereafter, the system degraded into a trough roughly 490 mi (790 km) south of Salina Cruz, Mexico. They purchased an ocean view property that wasn’t quite large enough to fit the building footprint, so they hired a backhoe and cut into an already steep hillside directly behind their home. That’s available on the handy drop down menu below (just select the month you are traveling for a summary). In actuality, the plane will have to continuously adjust course to stay on track because the Earth rotates faster at the equator and slower as you get closer to the poles. I don’t think they are intentionally misleading – this is the best forecast they have for each of the little stations – but don’t be fooled into thinking that they collected and interpreted data then made a forecast specific to the microclimate your lodge is located in. According to meteorologists from Colorado State University, the hurricane season in the Atlantic basin would begin on June 1 and will last until November 30. The best source for weather related alerts from within Costa Rica is the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional web page where they also have an RSS feed version link. The way in which Costa Rica, in a certain way, is indirectly affected by a hurricane is that it is generated in the Caribbean Sea, affecting the coast of the Costa Rican Pacific, all this due to the circulation of winds and the movement of the Intertropical convergence towards the country. Officials deployed 12,000 people to help ensure public safety and rescue efforts. In May of 2019 they introduced their fancy new website with a separate listing for current alerts but unfortunately a year later it’s still broken. Pressure Gradient Force: Tropical Storm/Hurricane Nate Note: The eye of the storm was several hundred kilometers to the north of Costa Rica but the airflow patterns created by Nate caused major rainfall and flooding October 5, 2017 (See current road, travel and weather status). [7] Thunderstorm activity continued to pulse over the center,[8] and the inner core of convection became more organized. What should we expect? There’s no big network of ground based Doppler Radar which is where a lot of the specifics in U.S., European and Canadian weather forecast come from. Location of Costa Rica. [9] After the convection organized into a central dense overcast, Otto became a strong tropical storm with 70 mph (110 km/h) winds, and maintained that intensity for about a day. [19][20] Officials opened 38 shelters that housed 3,370 people, mostly in Upala. In fact, between 10° south latitude and 10° north latitude, hurricanes are practically unheard of because the Earth is simply too flat for the wind to be deflected from its destination and create a spinning low pressure system. Needless to say, landslides are not fun and VERY dangerous. They seem pretty good as long as you’re aware of the limitations. We’ve found these reports quite reliable in the U.S. and Europe but they’ve only recently expanded to Costa Rica so we’ve only tested in a few of places a few times. 38 | Surviving A Crocodile Attack with Jon Becker. Caribbean, Puerto Viejo, Manzanillo, and Northern Panama. Liberia, Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula They also announced a phone app but it doesn’t appear to have any data feed. It is my understanding that poor water management above the property also played a role in the event. Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela put the nation on "hurricane alert". Hurricanes are worth it, they are the atmospheric phenomena that have caused the most damage to the Central American country, whether through severe floods or landslides.