At the beginning of this year scientists announced with excitement the reappearance of the Poas Volcano hot water lake, as a result of the rainfall in the area and the closing of the internal ducts of the volcano; however, just a few weeks later and in a matter of 12 days the lake dried out.

The volcanologists started noticing the changes in the water level of the lake starting mid-February, and by March 5 they confirmed only small puddles of water was left.
The lake, which had a light blue milky color which comes from the mix of water and chemicals was superficial but was as much as 15 meters (50 feet) deep in some areas, and reached temperatures between 54°C (129.2°F) in some areas and up to 97°C (206.6°F) in others.

Specialists consider that this phenomenon occurred due to the decreased rain in the area with the start of the dry season, an increase of the heat in the bottom of the crater and a low supply of water of the hydro-thermal system of the volcano.

“This is a normal behavior in an active volcano. The lake before the Volcano began its eruptive period (April 2017) was 50 meters deep and by June it had already dried out. The park rangers saw small puddles appear early January and by January 20 we had a formed lake again. The lake we knew before had a diameter of about 300 meters; the one that formed this year was bigger and was shaped like an 8”, explain Raul Mora, volcanologists of the UNED in an interview with La Nacion.

Poas Volcano National Park still remains close due to security reasons, but authorities have been evaluating the possibility of reopening the park to visitors, however, changes have to be made in infrastructure within the park to guarantee the safety of tourists.