HomeCosta RicaCosta Rican capital hit by heavy rains, flash floods

Costa Rican capital hit by heavy rains, flash floods

The rainy season might be on its way out but it certainly wanted leave us with something to remember. Thunderstorms doused the San José metro area Tuesday causing severe flooding across several parts of the city.

Red Cross spokesman Gerald Jiménez told The Tico Times that the neighborhoods of Los Yoses, San Pedro, Montes de Oca and Desamparados were among the hardest hit by the rains. Barrio Luján, Río Ocloro, Zapote, Rohrmoser, Pavas, Tibás and León XIII also saw streets and some homes inundated.

A flash flood in Barrio Luján was so strong that it sent trucks and cars floating down the road:

Jiménez said that Red Cross responders rescued several people from flooded homes. In the area of the Carlos Durán Red Cross responders rescued seven adults and five children. An elderly person being evacuated from a flooded home there fell and was sent to a hospital, Jiménez said. Responders in Barrio Cuba rescued 15 people, he said.

Rains and flooded streets snarled traffic from Escazú to Heredia and Curridabat. Some cars and buses tried to ford high waters in Los Yoses leading to San Pedro Mall, as captured in this video posted by RutaAltera.org:

Even high spots in the city, like Parque Morazán, saw flooded streets.

It was only a month ago that localized flooding in Barrio Chino in downtown San José blocked 2nd Avenue and flooded shops.

Tico social media tried to be a good sport about the floods. This Twitter user joked that he was Uber’s newest driver along with his boat. “I’m at your service,” he tweeted.

Trending Now

University March Will Slow San José Traffic Tuesday From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If you need to get across eastern San José or downtown tomorrow, plan around a national march against cuts to public university funding. Marchers...

Costa Rica Begins Rebuild of the Airport Serving Quepos/Manuel Antonio

Work began on a $13.4 million upgrade of the Quepos airport near Manuel Antonio, adding room for nine small aircraft now and a new passenger terminal by 2028.

Costa Rica Offers Walk-In Immigration Fingerprinting in San José Today

Costa Rica is offering a special fingerprinting service in downtown San José this morning, giving foreign residents and immigration applicants an opportunity to complete...

Toys “R” Us Weighs Going It Alone in Costa Rica

The Panamanian company that holds the regional Toys "R" Us rights puts a Costa Rica store at about $300,000 and is weighing whether to franchise or run stores itself.

Saturated Soils Put All of Costa Rica on Rain Alert Through Wednesday

All of Costa Rica is on rain alert. Soils are near saturation, so even short storms can flood streets through Wednesday.

Costa Rica Could Lose 24-Hour Tsunami Monitoring Over University Cuts

Costa Rica's tsunami warning center says it will stop round-the-clock monitoring of the country's coasts on Jan. 1, 2027, unless the government and lawmakers...

Atenas launches Gallery Nights: a different artist every month, with the Central Valley as a backdrop

The series opens in November with Terry Eldridge, followed by John Taylor in December and Joanna Woskowicz in January Starting in November, Atenas will have...

Costa Rica Faces an $882 Million Revenue Hole as Courts, Police and Schools Take Cuts

Costa Rica expects to collect about ₡400,000 million ($882 million) less than it budgeted for 2026, and the Finance Ministry is asking lawmakers to...

Costa Rica Study Reveals Key Coastal Habitats for Endangered Giant Manta Rays

Researchers tracking endangered giant manta rays in Costa Rica have discovered that younger animals remain close to coastal habitats while adults travel across international waters. The findings could help guide future marine conservation efforts.
Loading…

Latest News from Costa Rica

Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Car Rentals
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel