The district of Santa Elena in La Cruz, Guanacaste, experienced record heat and rainfall in a single month, according to records from the National Meteorological Institute (IMN).
According to the data, between March 1 and 9, temperatures in this town reached a historic 38.4 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest location in the entire country during that period. Meanwhile, last weekend, precipitation levels in this northern Pacific community reached an unprecedented 11.6 millimeters (11.6 liters of water per square meter).
Weak trade winds and low cloud cover
Such extremes are explained by the interaction of factors related to weak trade winds and low cloud cover, according to Daniel Poleo, an expert at the National Meteorological Institute (IMN).
Other locations that recorded record high temperatures in March are:
33.2°C: Aguas Zarcas (San Carlos, Alajuela)
35.4°C: San Jorge (Los Chiles, Alajuela)
33.2°C: La Virgen (SarapiquÃ, Heredia)
34.3°C: Horquetas (SarapiquÃ, Heredia)
32.2°C: Turrialba (Cartago)
28.3°C: Juan Viñas (Jiménez, Cartago)
30.9°C: La Suiza (Turrialba, Cartago)
Likewise, the heaviest rainfall between March 15 and 16 was recorded in:
8.2 mm: Nosara (Nicoya, Guanacaste)
10.4 mm: Bagaces (Guanacaste)
11.6 mm: Santa Elena (La Cruz, Guanacaste)
46.6 mm: Sierpe (Osa, Puntarenas)
Las High temperatures will continue until approximately April 20, according to the IMN expert.
