Tropical Wave 32 Triggers Flooding and Landslides Across Costa Rica

Tropical Wave 32 brought flooding, landslides and river overflows to Costa Rica, with unstable weather expected into Sunday.

SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA.— Tropical Wave 32 brought flooding, river overflows and landslides to several parts of Costa Rica on Saturday, with authorities and forecasters warning that unstable conditions could continue through the night and into early Sunday.

Costa Rica's National Meteorological Institute, or IMN, confirmed that Tropical Wave 32 was crossing the country Saturday and interacting with regional atmospheric instability.

Flooding and landslides reported in several regions

Local reporting based on information from emergency authorities documented flooding in Matina, river overflows around San Juan and Pataste in Guatuso and landslide-related disruption around Turrialba and Alvarado.

The National Emergency Commission had placed parts of the Northern Zone and Caribbean under a yellow alert, with other regions under lower-level precautionary alerts as soils in some areas remained highly saturated.

The combination of saturated ground and further rainfall increases the risk that relatively short periods of intense precipitation could produce additional flash flooding or slope instability.

IMN warns unstable conditions may persist

The IMN forecast additional rainfall in Caribbean and northern mountainous areas, with locally higher accumulations possible in terrain already affected by previous rain.

Residents near rivers, steep slopes and flood-prone roads were advised to remain attentive to official warnings rather than relying solely on conditions at their immediate location.

What Costa Rica should watch overnight

Emergency teams will be monitoring river levels, landslide-prone roads and communities where soils are already saturated.

The principal question into Sunday is whether additional rainfall falls over the same basins that received the heaviest precipitation Saturday, which would increase the risk of renewed flooding.

By Christopher Evans | Weather and Risk Correspondent | CRN Times
Editorial Supervision: Eleanor Whitfield, Editor-in-Chief | CRN Times