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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, August 31st 2026 - 10:39 UTC

Tag: El Niño

  • Monday, August 31st 2026 - 08:46 UTC

    The Panama Canal will cut daily transits from Wednesday because of drought

    Panama has eleven watersheds under water stress and declared an emergency last week, alongside Honduras and El Salvador

    The Panama Canal will reduce the number of vessels allowed to cross from 38 to 34 a day from September 3, and to 32 from the 15th, as well as imposing new draught restrictions, because of falling water levels linked to El Niño. According to the waterway's authorities, rainfall since May has been 34% below the historical average and inflows to the basin have dropped 44%. Around 5% of world maritime traffic passes through the canal.

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  • Monday, July 27th 2026 - 22:00 UTC

    Uruguay prepares protocols for the risk of El Niño flooding in the spring

    “The challenge we face now is preparing for what may happen in the spring as a result of this climate phenomenon,” the president said

    Uruguay's government is drawing up a set of contingency protocols for the flooding risk associated with the El Niño phenomenon, which climate projections indicate will have its greatest impact on the region during the southern hemisphere spring. President Yamandú Orsi announced at the Congress of Departmental Governors that the measures will be presented in August, ahead of what may occur from September and October.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 22:34 UTC

    Colombia's government confirms El Niño will be among the most intense since 1950

    In Colombia, El Niño tends to be associated with a decline in rainfall, which raises the risk of drought and energy rationing in a country that relies heavily on hydroelectric generation

    Colombia's Environment Ministry confirmed on Thursday that the El Niño phenomenon arrived about three months earlier than expected and that, if projections hold, it will be one of the “most intense recorded since 1950,” according to data from the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam). The agency said the conditions associated with the phenomenon —which warms ocean waters above normal— are already present in the equatorial Pacific.

  • Thursday, October 17th 2024 - 06:13 UTC

    Panama Canal posts significant setback in FY2024

    The number of crossing vessels was cut down from 38 to 22 on average between July 2023 and May 2024

    The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) reported this week a 29.3% drop in passing ships during Fiscal Year 2024 as a result of the severe drought affecting the interoceanic crossing. A total of 9,944 transits were recorded this year, a significant setback from 14,080 crossings in 2023. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.

  • Friday, April 12th 2024 - 22:20 UTC

    Brazil accounts for nearly 70% of dengue cases in LatAm and Caribbean

    Still, Brazil has reduced the number of deaths in the current dengue epidemic from previous years

    According to a survey conducted by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Brazil accounted for almost 70% of dengue cases in Latin America and the Caribbean, where some 4.6 million infections were confirmed this year, representing a 237% interannual increase, Agencia Brasil reported. PAHO is the arm of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Americas.

  • Thursday, April 11th 2024 - 19:44 UTC

    Rotating supply cuts launched as Bogotá's water reservoirs are running dry

    The situation is worse than expected after rainfalls forecasted for late March never arrived and are still awaited

    Authorities in the capital of Colombia began rationing water on Thursday as local reservoirs were reported to be nearing alarming levels due to the El Niño phenomenon coupled with the aftermaths of global warming. It has not been ruled out that the severe drought might result as well in an energy crisis hitting some 10 million people who live in Bogotá and the surrounding areas.

  • Wednesday, November 1st 2023 - 14:32 UTC

    Panama Canal further reduces ship crossings as more severe drought hits Lake Gatun

    Booking slots will be cut to 25% starting Nov. 3 from an already reduced 31 per day, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said in a client advisory (Pic REUTERS)

    Higher shipping costs as the Panama Canal, one of the world’s main maritime trade routes, will further reduce daily ship crossings in the coming months due to a severe drought, the authorities managing the canal.

  • Monday, September 4th 2023 - 11:17 UTC

    “El Niño” arrives in Argentina

    ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) brings on more or less rain than usual, depending on the region

    Argentina's National Meteorological Service (SMN) issued a report stating that the El Niño phenomenon had arrived in the country after water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean remained above those considered normal, thus triggering an atmospheric response to the warming.

  • Sunday, August 27th 2023 - 00:09 UTC

    Hot weather hits Rio de Janeiro this winter

    Winter heat in Rio should not feel as muggy as in the summer, despite reaching the same temperature

    Despite the southern hemisphere being still in winter, meteorologists foresee temperatures in the iconic city of Rio de Janeiro might reach 41°C as dry conditions heat up Southeastern Brazil, Agencia Brasil reported Thursday.

  • Friday, June 9th 2023 - 11:08 UTC

    Onset of “El Niño” announced

    The effects of El Niño are to be felt globally, it was explained

    The US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday the onset of “El Niño,” a weather phenomenon characterized by a warming of the surface of the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean that occurs every 2 to 7 years, which can increase the risk of heavy rains and droughts in some parts of the world and lead to record temperatures.

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