Super El Niño disrupts global weather, fisheries and shipping

September 13, 2026 at 05:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A strengthening El Niño in the tropical Pacific has already disrupted Peru's anchovy season and slowed Panama Canal shipping. Forecasts indicate drought in Central America and the western Pacific, with extreme rainfall in the Horn of Africa, the western US, and South America's Pacific coast. The event is the first strong eastern-Pacific El Niño since the late 1990s, complicating predictions.

Key Facts

Peru cancelled its anchovy season early in late August because El Niño warmed ocean waters and drove fish to deeper, colder areas.
Drought conditions in Central America have slowed shipping traffic on the Panama Canal, which uses freshwater to fill its locks.
Tens of thousands of smallholder farmers in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have reported crop losses.
This is the first strong eastern-Pacific El Niño since the late 1990s, according to climate scientist Eran Vos.
Some forecasts suggest this El Niño could become the strongest in centuries and push average temperatures in 2027 to record levels.

Early Impacts

Peru's anchovy season was cancelled early in late August after El Niño raised ocean temperatures and sent full-grown anchovies to deeper, colder waters. Drought in Central America has slowed shipping on the Panama Canal, which relies on freshwater to fill its locks for each passing ship. Tens of thousands of smallholder farmers in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have reported crop losses.

Forecast Patterns

Forecasts indicate drought in areas around the equator, Central America and the western Pacific Ocean. Extreme rainfall is expected in the Horn of Africa, the western United States and the Pacific coast of South America. This El Niño is forecast to reach unprecedented strength, and combined with global warming its effects may differ from past strong events.

Unique Characteristics

This is the first strong eastern-Pacific El Niño since the late 1990s, according to Eran Vos, a climate scientist at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. The event strengthened earlier than previous strong El Niños in 1997 and 2015. Some forecasts suggest this El Niño could become the strongest in centuries and raise average temperatures in 2027 to record levels.