Hurricanes in Costa Rica?

Many of our customers at Package Costa Rica wrongfully assume that the Atlantic hurricane season poses a major threat to Costa Rica. Actually, while we do sometimes get excessive rain from storms that pass through the Caribbean Sea, usually on their way to the Yucatan or Gulf Coast of Mexico, we very rarely get any direct impacts. Let’s take a look at what history shows us.

Two storms that had an impact on Costa Rica were Hurricane Gert (a category 2 storm when it impacted this country) and Hurricane Cesar (a category 1 storm).

Hurricane Gert (1993)

As a forming tropical storm, Gert brought torrential rainfall to Central America

, leaving 100,000 people homeless from its heavy flooding. Mudslides were reported in mountainous areas, causing considerable damage, especially to roads. Excluding Honduras, 13 people died across the region. Costa Rica only experienced 1 fatality due to the storm.

Hurricane Cesar (1996)

Costa Rica received heavy rainfall from Cesar, leading to mudslides and widespread flooding. River flooding damaged 51 houses and washed away 213. Contaminating drinking water across the country led to outbreaks of malaria and cholera. 72 bridges were destroyed from the flooding, and a disruption to the road network was damaged across the country. Damage amounted to $10 million (1996 USD) and 34 people were killed. Costa Rica requested international aid subsequent to the storm. Hurricane Cesar later became Hurricane Douglas, a category 4 storm in the Pacific.

So while history shows us that it is possible for Costa Rica to have direct impact, it is very rare and unlikely. Storms generally make their turn northward long before they reach our shores. The bad news is that if there is a storm in the Caribbean that gets close enough to mix with our already wet weather, it can lead to lead to landslides, flash floods (cabezas de agua) and major road damage. This is because such storms are likely to occur at the peak of our rainy season (September and October) and therefore any major increase in rainfall can lead to problems. Investors and those interested in moving or traveling to Costa Rica should not be overly concerned with these storms affecting this country. There is much less of a risk here than you have with the Gulf and Southern Atlantic coasts.

Pura Vida!