El Niño Drought
Related coverage: 8 countries, 8 sources
El Niño-linked drought is damaging crops in Mexico, restricting Panama Canal traffic, and threatening food security across Latin America, including an estimated 500,000 people in Honduras. Vietnam is preparing for what climate organizations expect to be an exceptionally strong El Niño, with its peak forecast for late 2026.
Sri Lanka bars tourists from the heart of drought-hit park as El Niño looms
Mugger crocodiles lie along the edge of Yala National Park's shrinking reservoir, waiting for the green water tankers that arrive each day. The trucks pump water into ponds across the drought-hit sanctuary, where spotted deer, wild water buffalo, tufted gray langurs and leopards come to drink. From next week, park managers will go further. They will ban tourists from the watering hole and other bu…
Sri Lanka bars tourists from heart of drought-hit park as El Niño looms
Sri Lanka is closing the busiest parts of Yala National Park to tourists so animals can reach increasingly scarce water without being disturbed. The rare month-long closure begins next week, just as t…
New Ireland provincial administration outlines El Niño response
The New Ireland Provincial Administration has announced its immediate response to severe dry conditions and El Niño conditions affecting communities across the province. The administration said the im…
El Niño-Linked Drought Damages Morelos Crops; Insurance to Be Activated for Farmers
About 70% of Morelos’s rain-fed crops have suffered losses of 70% or more in parts of the state, with corn production bearing the greatest impact. The damage has affected areas in the south and southw…
Panama Canal may cut ship traffic further as El Niño strengthens
The Panama Canal could cut ship traffic again if a strengthening El Niño deepens the country’s drought, putting further pressure on one of the world’s busiest maritime routes. Ilya Espino de Marotta, …
El Niño threatens food security for millions in Latin America
A drought caused by El Niño threatens to leave about 16 million additional people food insecure across Latin America and the Caribbean. The region faces what has been described as an imminent food cri…
WFP estimates 500,000 Hondurans will face food insecurity because of El Niño
The World Food Programme estimates that 500,000 people in Honduras will suffer from food insecurity as the El Niño phenomenon drives a prolonged drought.
Preparing for the strongest “super El Niño” in history
A “super El Niño” could reach its strongest level in history in the final months of 2026 and continue into February 2027, making global weather more extreme. Vietnam, particularly the south, is expect…
Panama Canal Considers Further Transit Cuts as El Niño Drives Drought
The Panama Canal could reduce the number of ships allowed through each day if drought caused by El Niño does not ease. Ilya Espino de Marotta, who took over as head of the canal authority on Monday, s…