Costa Rica Pacific on orange alert due to rain.webp

Costa Rica Pacific on orange alert due to rain

The decision is due to the interaction of the Intertropical Convergence Zone located in the national territory and Tropical Storm Pilar, which is reaching El Salvador, said the President of the CNE, Alejandro Picado, in statements to the press.

The Central Valley, Northern Zone and Sarapiquí remain in yellow alert, while the Caribbean remains in green alert, he added.

On the other hand, the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) reported today that Storm Pilar will have indirect impacts in Costa Rica that would increase starting this Monday night and tomorrow, Tuesday.

According to an IMN meteorological bulletin, the event is located 665 kilometers west of the Gulf of Papagayo and has maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour, moving in an east-northeast direction towards El Salvador and the northern border of Nicaragua.

Despite its distance, Pilar’s influence is felt in Costa Rica through its interaction with the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which creates unstable conditions in the region.

In the last 12 hours, the IMN recorded rainfall amounts of 15 to 30 liters per square meter, the report said.

Given these circumstances, Picado warned that there are very saturated soils, especially in the North Pacific. Therefore, it was decided to increase alertness and urge caution among motorists traveling on the road and people living in areas prone to flooding and landslides. .

The president of the CNE explained that 55 floods were recorded over the weekend, most of them in towns in the western province of Puntarenas, as well as damage to houses caused by river flooding.

npg/alb