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Northern Peru registers record temperature in fifty years, before El Niño's onslaught
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Environment & Climate

Northern Peru registers record temperature in fifty years, before El Niño's onslaught

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Context piece
  • Peru's northern city of Piura recorded a 50-year high of 34.2 degrees Celsius amid the winter season.
  • The extreme temperatures are attributed to persistent warming of the sea off the coast, consistent with a moderate El Niño Costero event.
  • Authorities have upgraded their El Niño Costero forecast to strong, predicting it could last until summer 2027.

Piura, a city in northern Peru near the Ecuadorian border, has experienced a significant heatwave, with temperatures reaching 34.2 degrees Celsius over the past two days. This marks a record high in over fifty years, occurring despite Peru being in its winter season. The minimum temperature on Monday also registered a record, exceeding the normal value for this time of year by 6.4 degrees Celsius.

both values represent historical records within a series of meteorological records of more than five decades.

— Jorge CarranzaThe head of the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (Senamhi) in Piura, Jorge Carranza, stated that the recorded maximum and minimum temperatures represent historical records.

The National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (Senamhi) in Piura attributes these unusual conditions to the persistent warming of the sea along the coast of Piura and Tumbes. These regions are typically the most affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

Senamhi indicated that these elevated temperatures may continue for several weeks. The surface temperature of the sea remains above normal, aligning with the evolution of the El Niño Costero event, which is currently considered moderate. However, Peruvian authorities upgraded their forecast on June 16, predicting a strong intensity for the El Niño Costero in the coming months. This phenomenon is characterized by an unusual increase in sea temperature off the coast of Peru and Ecuador, leading to torrential rains along the coast.

persistent warming of the sea

— SenamhiThe elevated temperatures were attributed by Senamhi to the persistent warming of the sea off the coast of Piura and Tumbes.

The National Study of the El Niño Phenomenon (Enfen) warned that the current El Niño Costero episode could extend until the summer of 2027. It has a higher probability of presenting a strong magnitude between June and September. Meanwhile, the broader El Niño phenomenon, marked by warmer sea temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean, is expected to develop between June 2026 and March 2027, with a strong intensity anticipated between November and December.

the current episode of El Niño Costero "will be prolonged until the next summer of 2027, with a greater probability of presenting a strong magnitude between June and September".

— EnfenThe National Study of the El Niño Phenomenon (Enfen) warned about the duration and potential intensity of the El Niño Costero event.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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