by Rod Hughes

Hail in Costa Rica? Maybe on Cerro de la Muerte, the country’s highest peak, but surely not in spring-like San Jose.
But it happened Wednesday, along with heavy winds that tore down trees and power lines and a lightning show that rivaled any fireworks celebration lit the sky. Hardest hit was the capital suburb of Tibas where the hail was intense and large. A 25-foot-tall cipress tree came crashing down near the central park in Tibas and residents tell of large limbs crashing against the walls and gates of houses. Tibas resident Manuel Salas, 72, told La Nacion about a tree in his yard, “I planted that tree that fell in 1973. I wanted to cut it for a long time but my neighbors wouldn’t let me because they liked it a lot. They said they’d go to court if I did. Now something’s got to be done.”
Meteorologists blamed a low pressure system (not the indirect effects of Hurricane Felix) and promised that the weather would return to what is normally expected during the average rainy season