El Niño Drives Record Temperatures in Peru, Surpassing Earlier Catastrophic Episodes

Peru’s central coast experienced its largest monthly air-temperature anomaly on record for an August, reaching 6.3°C above the historical average, according to the country’s National Meteorology and Hydrology Service, Senamhi.

The figure exceeded the anomalies recorded during August 1997, when temperatures stood 4.1°C above average, and August 2023, when the anomaly reached 4.4°C. Across Peru, average maximum temperatures in August were 4.4°C above normal, while average minimum temperatures were 3.8°C higher than usual.

The northern coast also recorded an average anomaly of 4.4°C, exceeding the 3.4°C recorded in 1997 and the 3.5°C recorded in 2023. Senamhi said exceptionally warm conditions persisted along the Peruvian coastline throughout the month.

Several individual records fell. Jayanca, in Lambayeque, reached 35°C on Aug. 7, surpassing the previous record of 34°C set on Aug. 29, 2023. La Esperanza, in Piura, reached 33.2°C on the same day, exceeding the 32°C recorded on Aug. 7, 1997. Lima’s Campo de Marte park reached 28°C on Aug. 22, above the previous record of 27.1°C set in 1939.

Nighttime temperatures also remained unusually high. The northern coast recorded a minimum-temperature anomaly of 4.3°C, above the levels seen in 1997 and 2023. La Cruz, in Tumbes, recorded a minimum of 25.6°C on Aug. 22, while Jayanca reached 23.2°C on Aug. 1 and La Esperanza reached 23.4°C on Aug. 8, each exceeding earlier records. Senamhi linked the conditions to the current El Niño, caused by unusual warming in the central Pacific Ocean, whose intensity is expected to remain extraordinary until at least early 2027. The phenomenon can bring torrential rain to the coasts of Peru and Ecuador, often causing major flooding when rivers overflow.