Costa Rica News – It has been a very dry ‘rainy’ season in the Costa Rican Central Valley.
The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) is tracking these very serious water shortages. It is only comparable to the 1997 record of water shortages.
The Central Valley is at an 87% water deficit for this point in the rainy season. In Cartago the IMN station recorded 11 liters of water per square meter to date, the norm is 150 liters.
The phenomenon of El Niño is caused by the heating of the Pacific Ocean waters, which peak around December 25th near Peru. This is the reason for the name El Niño. The heating of the water has a significant effect on the global climate.
The forecast for Costa Rica remains relatively dry, particularly for the Central Valley. The weather is lovely for tourists but the farmers are having to make contingency plans to keep their crops watered.
