Photo credit: Flystock\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n
Panama Canal Aims to Avoid Repeat of 2023 Drought Crisis as El Ni\u00f1o Looms<\/p>\n
PANAMA\u00a0CITY, May 15 (Reuters)\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The<\/p>\n
is not planning vessel passage restrictions for the remainder of 2026 even if an El Ni\u00f1o weather pattern begins in the second half of the year as predicted, potentially leading to another drought in the Central American country, the waterway told Reuters.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0canal\u00a0linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is currently allowing 38 ships to pass through each day and has seen demand increase in recent months mainly due to the\u00a0U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which is affecting the use of other corridors like the Suez\u00a0Canal.<\/p>\n
The El Ni\u00f1o climate pattern, which occurs every two to seven years, leads to warm ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, which typically means wetter, colder winters in portions of the U.S. and rainfall reduction in Central America, leading to droughts.<\/p>\n
In the last El Ni\u00f1o, between 2023 and 2024,\u00a0Panama\u00a0\u2013 usually one of the world\u2019s rainiest countries \u2013 was hit with a\u00a0severe drought\u00a0that forced restrictions on passage through the\u00a0canal\u00a0and triggered long waiting times for vessels.<\/p>\n
In a report this week, the U.S. National Weather Service said El Ni\u00f1o is likely to emerge between May and July and continue in the Northern Hemisphere between late 2026 and early 2027.<\/p>\n
The freshwater-operated\u00a0Canal\u00a0has been taking water conservation measures since 2025 ahead of the next El Ni\u00f1o, its authority told Reuters late on Thursday in reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe levels of the Gatun reservoir have been kept historically high,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0canal\u2019s authority is closely monitoring weather predictions at the beginning of the rainy season since early May to help it plan measures for next year, it said.<\/p>\n