Nearly 900 districts across Peru declared under emergency over El Niño threat

Peru has declared a state of emergency in 893 districts across 23 of the country’s 25 regions as authorities prepare for potentially extreme weather linked to El Niño.

The emergency will remain in effect for 60 days. It is intended to enable immediate prevention and risk-reduction measures ahead of very heavy rainfall expected in the coming months through February 2027.

The affected areas include Amazonian regions such as Loreto and Madre de Dios, northern coastal regions including Piura and La Libertad, and southern highland areas such as Huancavelica and Arequipa. The northern coast typically faces the heaviest rainfall, while parts of the southern highlands are expected to experience drought.

The government said the scale of the risk had exceeded the capacity of local and regional authorities. National agencies, including the National Institute of Civil Defense and the ministries of Defense, Health, Education, Housing and Transport, will provide technical and operational support.

The decree says the response will be financed through the existing institutional budgets of the agencies involved and will not require additional funds from the national Treasury. President Keiko Fujimori and the relevant ministers signed the measure.

Peru’s latest forecast gives El Niño a high probability of reaching extraordinary intensity between September 2026 and January 2027. The national El Niño study group estimates that probability at about 70% in the coming months and 62% in January. For February and March, it expects the intensity to fall to strong or very strong. From August to October, air temperatures along the entire coast are expected to remain well above normal, with historical records still possible.