Maya: Good morning, San José! It's Monday, October fifth, twenty twenty-six, and this is the very first San José Morning Briefing. I'm Maya.
Devon: And I'm Devon. Bienvenidos — we're so glad you're here. Every morning we've got your week ahead: weather, tonight's skies, what's on around the city, and the local stories you should know.
Maya: Let's start with the weather, because October in the Central Valley means one thing: rain. Today, Monday, expect a high of eighty-one and a low of sixty-four, with a one hundred percent chance of rain.
Devon: One hundred percent? That's not a forecast, that's a promise.
Maya: It really is. We're in the heart of the rainy season — what Costa Ricans call invierno. Tuesday brings a high of seventy-nine and a low of sixty-three, Wednesday seventy-seven and sixty-three, and the rain chances stay at one hundred percent all week.
Devon: Winds stay light, around six to seven miles per hour, so no big gusts — just those classic afternoon downpours.
Maya: Exactly. The pattern is warm, bright mornings, clouds building by early afternoon, and dramatic evening thunderstorms. Keep the umbrella handy every single day.
Devon: And one more thing: the UV index is up around nine, which is very high. Even with the clouds, use sunscreen if you're out around midday.
Maya: Good call. And if you're heading up into the mountains or out toward the coasts this week, conditions can shift fast — check before you go.
Devon: Now, tonight's skies. Sunset is at five twenty-five, and it's astronomically dark by six thirty-five.
Maya: The moon is a waning crescent, just thirty-two percent lit, and it doesn't rise until around one in the morning — so the early evening sky stays nice and dark.
Devon: Saturn is the star of the show tonight — high in the east at sixty-seven degrees, hard to miss once it's fully dark.
Maya: No space station passes tonight, though. And one honest caveat: it is the rainy season, so clouds may crash the party.
Devon: True — but if the sky clears after one of those evening storms, step outside. A dark sky and Saturn overhead is worth the wait.
Maya: On to arts and entertainment — and what a week to launch with.
Devon: Thursday night, October eighth, Iron Maiden plays the National Stadium at six thirty. The Run For Your Lives tour, celebrating fifty years of the band — and it's only their fourth visit to Costa Rica ever.
Maya: Up the irons! Tickets are available through Eticket.
Devon: For something completely different: the National Symphony Orchestra's ninth season concert is Friday, October ninth at eight in the evening at the National Theater, with a repeat performance Sunday morning at ten thirty.
Maya: And Thursday at seven, also at the National Theater, Dúo Appassionato celebrates twenty years of four-hands piano. A lovely night out.
Devon: Plus Tuesday evening at six, the theater presents Arias y Chansons: Cantos de amor y luna — an evening of love songs and moonlight. Fitting, right after our Saturn segment.
Maya: Now, three local stories you should know.
Devon: First, health news: the U.S. Embassy has issued a health alert over a chikungunya outbreak in Pavas, right here in San José. Twelve confirmed cases so far, concentrated in neighborhoods like Villa Esperanza, Finca San Juan, and Rohrmoser. The guidance: use mosquito repellent, wear long sleeves when you can, and eliminate standing water where mosquitoes breed.
Maya: Second: the CDC has posted a Level One travel health notice over a hepatitis A outbreak in Costa Rica. Seven hundred seventy-two cases nationwide so far this year, with five hundred sixty-two of them here in San José province. The CDC recommends vaccination for unvaccinated travelers — no need to cancel trips, but take the usual precautions.
Devon: And third, a major security story: Costa Rica has shipped forty-five metric tons of seized drugs to the United States for destruction — about ninety-nine thousand pounds, with an estimated street value of more than one point two five billion dollars.
Maya: The Attorney General said budget limits meant Costa Rica couldn't handle the destruction domestically, so a U.S. Air Force cargo plane flew the shipment out of Juan Santamaría airport. The drugs were collected over several months of raids carried out with help from the DEA.
Devon: That's your first San José Morning Briefing. We'll be here every morning at five.
Maya: Pura vida, San José — see you tomorrow.