In this Daily -- Las Pintas and Sunset Trailblazers
Sunny throughout the day with a cooler morning and warm afternoon, as well as a steady slow breeze coming from the east. Temperatures will start in the mid 70s after dawn and rise slowly throughout the day, reaching the mid 80s by mid afternoon and then falling off to the low 80s for sunset. The breeze should be slow and steady out of the east-northeast all day today, averaging around 5mph. Out in the cove, the steady offshore winds combined with a moderate swell means that waves should be between 1-2 feet throughout the day, a good set for a beginner body surfer or boogie boarder. On the trails, the conditions should be ideal for a hike or a bike ride throughout the better part of the morning, and the healthy breeze towards sunset will make for a very enjoyable evening hike.
According to an old Costa Rican legend, today is November, and tomorrow will be December. But this isn't part of some bizarre old calendar with 353 months in it, it's an old tradition called Las Pintas, which takes place during the first 19 days of January. As the legend goes, the weather throughout the first 19 days of January "paints" the weather that will occur throughout the year, and by carefully tracking these patterns you are able to predict the predominant weather conditions for each month in the year. Historically, these trends would then be used to help determine planting patterns for farms, and add an element of certainty to the at-times unpredictable Costa Rican weather.
To track Las Pintas, the tradition dictates that each of the first 12 days of month correspond to a month of the year. January is painted by January 1st, February is painted by January 2nd, and so on until January 12th, which paints December. The process continues over the course of the next 6 days with each day painting two months, one for morning and one for evening. So January 13th paints January and February, January 14th paints March and April, and so on until January 18th, which paints November and December. The process ends on January 19th, when each hour from 6am to 6pm paints a month.
Once all of this information has been compiled, the results are averaged, and the weather for the upcoming months can be determined! So stay tuned on January 20th for the official Las Catalinas yearly weather forecast.
Elsewhere in town today, Casa Chameleon hosted their Friday Yoga class up in their hilltop yoga studio at 9am, taking advantage of the perfect morning temperatures, and this evening will see another edition of Sunset Trailblazers departing from Central at 4pm, and the Beach Club will be hosting their pool movie night at 6:30pm.