Venezuela braces for record-breaking El Niño impacts in late 2026

Reidy Zambrano, president of Venezuela’s National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMEH), warned that the El Niño phenomenon will intensify during the third and fourth quarters of 2026, reaching a strength that could break historical records tracked by the World Meteorological Organization. He told state broadcaster VTV that the country is facing a climate emergency, noting that each decade since 1980 has been hotter than the previous one and that recent temperature records are already being surpassed. President Delcy Rodríguez announced in July that El Niño entered its warm phase, and officials expect the strongest impacts in October‑December, potentially worsening agricultural supply shortages already strained by the Strait of Hormuz blockade. United Nations senior official Máximo Torero cautioned that Latin America could experience a severe El Niño event this year, amplifying regional climate risks.