Retirees and others who are planning to move to Costa Rica always ask me about natural disasters like hurricanes I have included this article. Fortunately we only get the rain form the hurricanes and the mountains keep the strong winds out of the Central Valley. They are a natural barrier.
Hurricanes rarely hit Costa Rica, the last one was Hurricane Cesár which came ashore on July 27, 1996 and killed 41 people and trashed the Pacific southwest in Costa Rica’s worst national disaster in a decades. Even though Costa Rica is in the Caribbean, because Costa Rica is so far south it is very rare that a hurricane strikes land over Costa Rica.
In May 2008, there was Tropical Storm Alma. Alma was the first tropical storm on record to strike the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. In Costa Rica, heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides, killing two and causing $35 million (USD) in damage.
For 2010, U.S. meteorologists say they expect an above-average number of Atlantic basin hurricanes to develop during this year’s hurricane season. The Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team predicts the season to be a “harsh” one.
The 2010 Hurricane Season in the Atlantic Ocean will begin on June 1, 2010, and end on November 30, 2010.
Atlantic hurricanes affect the eastern and Gulf coasts of the U.S. and the Caribbean nations. Those with interests in hurricane-prone areas must heed federal and state advice on preparedness, the season in general, and each specific storm in the season.
Colorado State University’s forecasters report that eight hurricanes are expected for the 2010 season. Four of the season’s hurricanes are expected to strengthen and become major hurricanes. This means that these four, if they do in fact become major hurricanes, would ultimately receive a rating of at least a category 3 storm.
Category 3 storms are defined by the Saffir-Simpson scale. The Saffir-Simpson scale indicates that such a storm must have winds of at least 111mph; and that these winds be sustained for a period of time.
University forecasters William Gray and Phil Klotzbach each stated that El Niño conditions will likely dissipate by summer. In addition they believe that the warm tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures will not drop and will remain at the current temperatures. These temperatures have reportedly been much warmer than usual.
Because of this phenomenon, Gray and Klotzbach indicate that the 2010 hurricane season will be above-average. Specifically, they said that the warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures will “[lead] to favorable conditions for hurricanes to develop and intensify.
In part Courtesy of Inside Costa Rica