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Roads to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica are currently open, but heavy rains over the last 72 hours are causing deterioration in some places. A Weather Warning has been issued by The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) and it advises that drivers remain vigilant on the roads in the Caribbean area. We will post information here as we receive it. The Limón region has received more rainfall in the last 72 hrs than the monthly average for May.

The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) issued a weather warning at 10:00 am this morning, Tuesday, May 12, 2009 for the Caribbean and Northern Zones of Costa Rica, particularly in the areas of Chilamate, Cinchona, Sarapiquí and surroundings, which are experiencing swollen rivers and streams. Limón has accumulated 350 mm in the last 72 hours – equivalent to the average for the entire month.

A steady decline is expected in the afternoon with a return to heavy intermittent rains in the evening with an estimated rainfall of 50-100mm. In the maritime industries, chopped sea waves of 7 ft ( 2.13 m ) are expected. In the Central Valley will have intermittent rain and the slope of the Pacific will not be affected.

The IMN recommends continued vigilance in rivers and streams in the province of Limón and the Northern Region, particularly in Siquirres, Sarapiqui and around Tortuguero, Parismina, Sixaola, Bataan, Matina, Estrada. It warns about the possibility of mudslides and landslides in the mountainous Caribbean, and to take precautions on the roads.

Playa Negra Bridge Repair

The Playa Negra Bridge, at the entrance to Puerto Viejo, is being repaired. This is the new bridge which was put in place to replace the one which washed out during last November’s flooding. Heavy rains on Monday night and rough seas at Playa Negra caused the soil to erode at the north end of the bridge. Early Tuesday morning some light traffic was allowed to pass, and the bridge was then closed in the late afternoon so that repairs could begin. Many 4wd vehicles, motorcyclists, and pedestrians were bypassing the bridge along the shore.

The Instituto Meteorológical Nacional (IMN) has issued a weather warning for the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. Winds have maintained their intensity and conditions remain unstable.  The Limon and Manzanillo weather stations have reported that a total of 66.7 – 72.3 mm of rainfall accumulated between last evening and this morning, and the rains are persisting. It is forecasted that the morning will remain overcast and cloudy, and although some improvement may occur in conditions in the afternoon, more rain is expected in the evening.

The IMN recommends continued vigilance in areas prone to flooding and landslides in the Caribbean region, as well as caution for swimmers and small boats in the maritime sector due to continued winds and rough seas.

Still mostly sunny – sun mixed with clouds with warmer temperatures. Roads starting to dry up.

The cold front has completely moved out and it’s mostly sunny this morning with much warmer temperatures. Roads are starting to dry and the rivers are starting to get back to normal levels.

Feb 9, 200 – 8:00 am -  IMN (Instituto Meteorlógico Nacional) COLD FRONT DEPARTS, WINDS BEGIN TO DECREASE. Forecast: Moderate trade winds with some gusts that may exceed 50 km /h, due to high pressure over Florida, which is holding the wind conditions in the Central American region. As this high pressure moves toward the North Atlantic winds will weaken further. Some moderate cloudiness is expected in the Caribbean Zone, with more pronounced clouds on the mountain sides, the chances of precipitation are very low for the day, and rainfall may occur at night at the usual time.

Feb 8, 200 – 11;34 am - The IMN (Instituto Meteorlógico Nacional) is reporting that the cold front which moved into the Caribbean Zone and which caused high winds and some flooding, has moved out of the region. Conditions are expected to continue to improve, with less rain and warmer temperatures

We had some heavy rain last night on the tail end of the cold front which has now moved out of the Caribbean Zone. This morning we’ve had some sun and occassional drizzles.

FLOODING – PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Feb 7, 2009 – 10:51 am – Playa Cocles - Although there has been more heavy rains, conditions on Margarita Rd. have not changed much since the last update below.

Feb 5, 2009 – 4:20 pm – Playa Cocles - Margarita Rd. is not passable all the way through due to a small landslide at approximately 3.7 km in from the Cocles start point (see photos below). The landslide is just past the gigantic tree on the left side of the road at the the top of the hill. The stuck car has been removed from the road at 0.5 km (Casa Farmer) but the road is 4WD only at this time.

Feb 5, 2009 – 11:24 am – Playa Cocles - Margarita Rd. has now become impassible to all vehicles. Although an occasional large truck with high clearance gets through, the condition of the road is deteriorating rapidly. The section of road at 0.5km in from the beginning of the road at the Río Negro bridge is washing out and a car is stuck in the road. Although it is possible for a motorcycle or scooter to get through, it is risky business. (see photos below). For a map of Margarita Rd. click here.

Feb 4, 2009 – 4:30 pm – Playa Cocles – Flooding is occurring in the province of Limón. Rivers are swelling and in some areas covering the roads. The coastal road in area of Playa Cocles is flooded but still passable. Margarita road is closed to all but high clearance vehicles. PROCEED WITH CAUTION. There of two areas of reported flooding on Margarita Rd. at 0.5km and 0.7 kilometers in from Playa Cocles – the latter being the small bridge where an ICE (electric) truck miscalculated the bridge and went into the river during the flooding in November. This area is approximately 0.5 meters over the bridge at the moment. The bridge not visible – it is important to stay away from the river side of the road since there is erosion and drop offs there. The flooding at 0.5km is at Casa Farmer and is washing and eroding a deep ditch as water overspills into Río Negra.

If anyone has any eye-witness road conditions to report, please leave a comment here!

PHOTOS (taken Feb 5, 2009 – 3:00 pm)

Landslide at 3.7km on Margarita Rd.

Concrete bridge at 2.0 km

PHOTOS (taken Feb 5, 2009 – 11:30am)

Car stuck on Margarita Road - 0.5km in from the beginning of the road at Playa Cocles. It has since been moved out of the way. Passage is possible for about 3.7 km into Margarita Rd.

Downpour at house on Margarita Road

Swollen banks of the Rio Negro Bridge in Cocles

Flooding near the Rio Negro - this is a popular internet cafe in the area. Most businesses are operating normally at this time.

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica: Saturday, Feb 7, 2009 – 10:25am CST:
The IMN (Instituto Meteorológico Nacional) latest alert/update:

DIAGNOSIS: THE COLD FRONT IS CONTINUING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE COUNTRY BUT IS STILL MAINTAINS  HIGH PRESSURE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA, HELPING TO MAINTAIN MODERATE WINDS WITH STRONG GUSTS, WHICH HAVE REACHED 63 KM/H IN LIBERIA AND 57 KM/H IN PAVAS. IT IS CLOUDY AND RAINY IN THE  CARIBBEAN AND NORTHERN  ZONES.

FORECAST: IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS IT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN CLOUDY WITH WEAK TO MODERATE RAINS IN THE CARIBBEAN AND NORTH ZONES, WITH CUMULATIVE RAINFALL BETWEEN 20-30MM. DO NOT EXPECT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE INTENSITY OF THE WIND DURING THE DAY, BUT THERE IS A CLEAR DOWNWARD TREND STARTING TOMORROW, NOT JUST CONCERNING THE WIND BUT ALSO OF ATMOSHPERIC MOISTURE CONTENT, WHICH WILL RESULT IN LESS PRECIPITATION.

For road condition reports CLICK HERE.

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica: Friday, Feb 6, 2009 – 7:25pm CST: The IMN (Instituto Meteorológico Nacional) is predicting that rain and winds will continue through the night but begin to subside tomorrow morning as the cold front moves out of the Caribbean Zone. Locally, here in the Cocles / Puerto Viejo area, some road deterioration has occurred but the rains, although intense at times, has been intermittent enough to allow water to drain off from roads and bridges.

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica: Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 – 3:28pm CST: 100 – 200mm of rain has fallen in the last 36 hours and a weather warning has been issued by the IMN (Instituto Meteorológico Nacional) for the Northern and Caribbean Zones. A cold front has moved in and intermittant rains of varying intensities are expected to continue at least until Saturday. Flooding is occuring in the province of Limón and here in the Puerto Viejo area. The areas most vulnerable at this time on the Southern Caribbean are Sixaola, Valle Estrella, Limón, Matina, Siquirres, and the mountainous areas of the Northern Zone.

We had some heavy rain last night, and this morning there have been intermittent downpours with tranquil breaks in between. Stay tuned to this page for an updated weather report from the IMN agency.

The sun gave us a little tease today, but it was quick lived. It rained hard last night and off and on through the day and is raining again now. Although the rain has been intense at times, it has been intermittent enough to allow much of it to drain off before any major flooding occurs. The IMN weather agency is predicting rain and wind through the evening, but that it will subside tomorrow morning.

Playa Cocles, Feb 6, 2009, 3:30 pm – The National Emergency Commission has declared a red alert in Talamanca, Matina, Siquirres, Guácimo y Sarapiquí de Heredia due to the damage caused which has been caused by the cold front. In Talamanca 510 people remained in shelters located in Suretka (indigenous people), Church and School and the School Bribri of Catarina. The IMN (Insituto Meteorológical Nacional) is predicting that rain and winds will continue through this evening but subside tomorrow morning. Locally, here in the Playa Cocles / Puerto Viejo area, the rains, although intense at times, has been intermittent enough to allow rivers to drain off without much overspilling of the the river banks.

Rained heavy most of the night and early this morning. At this time it’s downpouring strong and loud. Earlier this morning I walked down Margarita Rd. to Las Casas to see the conditions at the small bridge which was flooded yesterday. Amazingly enough, there was no water on it and Margarita Rd. appears to be passable at this moment. I also have had reports that the road at Playa Cocles which was also flooded yesterday is fine at this time. However, the river banks are extremely swollen so the flood conditions of the roads could change within the hour. I will try to keep you posted.

The rain has let up for now but some roads are flooded.

Title: GRAND OPENING Puerto Viejo Shops
Location: Downtown Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Link out: Click here
Description: Grand Opening of the new Puerto Viejo Shops mall in downtown Puerto Viejo. Complimentary Tapas and Sangria Party at the Chile Rojo restaurant on the upper floor of the mall. 5pm – 7pm
Start Time: 17:00
Date: 2009-02-07
End Time: 19:00

Just helped fish a woman on a motorcyle out of a flooded area on Margarita Rd. The bike was slipping down into the Río Negra. She’s fine – the motor will need some drying out though!  I will update again in an hour or so…

We’ve received a lot of rain these last two days. Starting to flood a little in some places but no alerts have been issued yet. I’ll keep you posted….

We had rain yesterday morning and some sun this morning. Getting a good rain shower now.

Hatch has put up a page full of good tips for beginner snorkelers – equipment, safety and how to get the most out of your snorkeling experience. Check it out: Snorkeling Tips

Mostly sunny now…

Had sun this morning, now overcast.

Sunny & warm!

Partly cloudy and cool today.

Mostly sunny now and warming up. Clouds are dissipating…

Had our nightly rain shower last night, now overcast with cool temperatures.

Had a good downpour this morning which eased into light drizzles. Cool temperatures.

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