The weather phenomenon La Niña is predicted to hit Costa Rica during the next few months, creating 16% more rain than is normal along the Pacific coast and leaving an 8% rain deficit in the Caribbean, Pablo Manso, National Meteorological Institute (IMN) director, told journalists yesterday.

La Niña is expected to chill Pacific waters around the middle of the year, while Caribbean waters may experience a temperature increase. This “explosive” combination is likely to create a rainier rainy season than normal, Manso said.

Last year's rainy season was drier than usual, and scientists at the time attributed this to El Niño, which causes the water temperature in the Pacific Ocean surrounding the equator to heat up one-half a degree Celsius for a five-month period or longer (TT, Oct. 27, 2006). La Niña occurs when this water temperature decreases by one-half a degree Celsius for five months or more.

Scientists are also expecting eight tropical storms and nine hurricanes to form during this hurricane season, of which at least three could pass over Caribbean waters and indirectly affect Costa Rica with heavy rains, Manso said.