What is the flood risk like in Costa Rica in 2026?

Pacific and Central Valley rainy months usually run from about May through November, with the heaviest Pacific stretches often around September and October: Rain. San José and Escazú corridors can see short violent afternoon storms that overwhelm drains and canyon roads even when the morning was sunny: Living in San José. Guanacaste towns such as Tamarindo stay drier in peak dry season, then face rapid river and street flooding when rains return: Living in Tamarindo and Dry season.

Jacó and other Central Pacific strips sit where weekend valley traffic and green-season downpours collide: Living in Jacó. Caribbean Limón and Puerto Viejo live with a wetter year-round backdrop and landslide risk on saturated slopes. Distant tropical cyclone remnants during the wider June–November Atlantic season can still load rainfall even when Costa Rica rarely takes a direct hurricane landfall.

Walk the street after a real storm if you can, and ask neighbours how often water entered ground-floor units. Prefer slight elevation over pretty creek views when you rent for a year: How to rent a home and Where to live in Costa Rica. Photograph meters and floors at handover so flood stains are not later charged as tenant damage: Rental contracts and deposits. Keep a dry-season housing shortlist if mold and humidity already stress you: Humidity and Best climate. Wind and air quality are separate dry-season planning layers: Wind and Air quality.