This year it has rained more than I can remember in my last three years here in the Central Valley of Costa Rica; as I write this piece, it’s pouring down in buckets. Costa Rica’s rainy season started in June and is more intense than usual, according to forecasts by the National Meteorological Institute (IMN). This is because we’re in late October, and usually, we get the brunt of the storms towards the end of October and November because summer begins in early December and the start of the dry season.

As a result of the heavy rains, particularly in low-lying areas, have flooded. I was surprised to hear that Jaco and Quepos, two of my favorite towns, were saturated, and many homes and businesses were impacted. The heavy rains have also triggered landslides along a road in the El Hundimiento mountain pass near Cambronero in Alajuela Province, where a bus and another vehicle crashed into landslide debris and fell into a ravine below killing nine people and over 30 people rescued, according to The Costa Rica Red Cross.

Although this year’s rainy season is exceptional, I love the rainy season. But you must be careful when you drive and where you go. It’s always best to check the weather forecasts before you travel, “a word to the wise.”