From Las Pintas To The Pacific: Understanding Larger Climate Patterns

In a last week's edition of The Daily, we explored Las Pintas for 2026, a tradition that reads the first twelve days of January as reflections of the months ahead. Rooted in observation and long familiarity with the land, this practice offers a cultural way of sensing how a year might unfold.

Beyond this local reading, there are also larger climate patterns that operate on a broader scale. While Las Pintas interprets daily conditions month by month, there are is ither phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña, which influence seasonal behavior across entire regions and even continents. These patterns have been studied for decades and are part of a well-documented ocean–atmosphere system known as ENSO, the El Niño Southern Oscillation.

El Niño and La Niña are not periodic. Meaning they are cyclical but present irregular patterns that typically occur every two to seven years. Historical records suggest their influence has been present since at least the sixteenth century, long before modern instruments existed.

They begin in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, where trade winds normally push warm surface waters toward Asia, allowing cooler, nutrient-rich waters to rise along the coast of South America. When those winds weaken, warm waters spread eastward across the Pacific. During El Niño years, Costa Rica often experiences reduced rainfall on the Pacific side, delayed rainy seasons, and drier overall conditions.

La Niña is the opposite phase. Trade winds strengthen, cooler waters rise more intensely along the American coast, and ocean temperatures drop below average in the central Pacific. In Costa Rica, this often translates into stronger and longer rainy seasons on the Pacific slope.

While Las Pintas is a traditional practice rather than a scientific forecast, the signals observed in early January 2026, steady heat, limited precipitation, and moderate cloud cover, align with drier tendencies. When considered alongside the relatively dry patterns observed in 2025, this could suggest conditions more consistent with El Niño leaning behavior rather than a strong La Niña phase.

This does not mean the absence of rain, nor does it confirm a formal El Niño declaration. It simply suggests that the coming rainy season may be shorter and less intense than average, arriving gently and retreating earlier than usual.

As always, modern meteorology will provide clearer guidance as the year unfolds, and Las Pintas are not a formal forecast. Conditions may shift as the months progress. Still, the combination of cultural observation and scientific understanding offers something valuable: a patient way of reading the land, shaped by attention, memory, and long familiarity with place.