Jazz Cafés
In San Pedro, jazz jam session, 10 p.m., and in the new Escazú venue, the Mundo Loco series presents electro-world music by Ensamble Etnico, DJ Kabuto and Koji, 10 p.m., http://jazzcafecostarica.com.

“La Campaña del '56 ”
Educational performance, today through April 11, every half-hour, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Children's Museum, end of Calle 9, San José.

Rembrandt show
48 original works by the Dutch master, through April 6, Central Bank Museums, underneath Plaza de la Cultura, San José.

Nicaragua and Costa Rica are braced for a bit of weather tonight. A slight cold front is due to first hit the north and central regions of Nicaragua, meteorologists from the country's Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER) said.

“We're expecting a drop in temperatures and strong winds, some light to moderate precipitation in the northern and central regions of the country, and maybe on the Pacific too,” meteorologist Mauricio Rosales told the newswire ACAN-EFE.

Costa Rican meteorologists told The Tico Times they also forecast cooler air, wind and light rain for this country late tonight and throughout Wednesday.

In Costa Rica's Central Valley, where San José lies, today's temperatures will range 14-28 degrees Celsius (about 57.2-82 degrees Fahrenheit); 21-35 C (69-95 F) in the northern Pacific; 20-34 C (68-93.2 F) in the central and southern Pacific and 21-30 C (69-86 F) in the north and south Caribbean.

Tomorrow, the front could come in fuller and dip these temps down by as many as 2 degrees Celsius, bringing stronger winds and rain with it, said National Meteorological Institute analyst Gabriela Chinchilla.

For the weekend a complete forecast was not yet ready, Chinchilla said, but by Thursday she reckons temperatures will rise back up again, winds will slow and make way for a clear, dry weekend in most parts of the country.

Costa Rica's crack surfing team yet again taught regional competitors a lesson, bringing home the winning trophy from the Central American Surf Championship over the weekend in Playa Venao, Panama – their third consecutive win in the tournament's three-year history.

On top of the team's success as a whole, individual strides were made, namely by Jason Torres and Nataly Bernold, both from Costa Rica's central Pacific Playa Jacó. Winners of the Open and Women's division respectively, Torres and Bernold this year managed to come in first after placing second in both 2006 and 2007.

“To tell the truth, I am very happy,” Bernold said in a Surf Federation press release. “I pursued this so hard, and after three years I made it. Now, I need to move ahead and get more international titles. That is my priority,” she said.

Costa Rican bodyboarder Jimena Calvo also won first place for her division.

Coach José Ureña did not hold back enthusiasm. “We achieved the number one objective and that was taking home the title ... that's why we came,” said Ureña, who is also the national federation's president.

Overall, host nation Panama finished second, followed by Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala.

While still deadly, Semana Santa (Easter Holy Week) yielded fewer fatalities than the year before. The holiday week, which most people have off from work, has statistically higher death rates than the rest of the year.

According to the Judicial Investigation Police, 66 people died as opposed to 75 the year before.

The figure includes more fatalities than the Red Cross tally reported yesterday, which only includes “on site” deaths attended to by Red Cross workers.

During Semana Santa there were 22 fatal traffic accidents, 16 murders, 11 drownings and three suicides.

Of the deaths, only 11 are under investigation by the police, a press release states.