In an atypical pattern, Hurricane Alma developed off the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua on Wednesday, threatening the entire region with torrential rains.  Heavy rains pounded Costa Rica for 24 hours where the President of the National Emergency Commission reported that "more rain fell in one day than in the entire month of May", producing mudslides and damage to roads and housing.  At noon on Thursday, the storm hit land in Nicaragua near Leon, converting to a Tropical Storm with winds of 65 miles per hour and dumping as much as twenty inches of rain.