Super El Niño 2026 sparks alerts and emergency actions across Latin America

NOAA confirmed on 11 June that the 2026 Super El Niño has begun, with a 63 % chance of exceeding 2 °C above the Pacific baseline – a level among the strongest on record since 1950. The event is expected to raise global temperatures, intensify rainfall in many basins and trigger drought in others.

Governments in the region have activated emergency plans. Ecuador’s national emergency committee raised an orange alert for 17 provinces and 143 municipalities, allocating US $600 million for flood‑control works. Argentina’s provinces of Entre Ríos, Misiones and Buenos Aires have coordinated municipal protocols, reinforced river‑bank defenses and mobilised the armed forces to clean waterways and prepare evacuations. Paraguay’s army is clearing drainage channels in San Lorenzo. Honduras’ Copeco moved 75 municipalities to yellow alert for severe drought. Panama’s agriculture ministry is monitoring 35 key crops and projects sufficient rice supplies through January. Colombia’s utility sector is urging energy‑efficiency measures to cope with higher demand during the expected heat wave.

Hydrological authorities have raised the Salto Grande reservoir level to 35 m to manage the surge in the Uruguay River while monitoring downstream flood risk. In Misiones, Argentina, tobacco growers warn that excessive moisture threatens the seasonal crop of more than 11 200 families. Across the Andes, the Atlantic hurricane season shows reduced activity as El Niño‑driven wind shear suppresses storm formation.

Overall, the Super El Niño is prompting multi‑national coordination of disaster‑risk financing, infrastructure reinforcement, and agricultural safeguards to mitigate anticipated floods, landslides, heat stress and water shortages.