2026’s El Niño is shaping up to be a doozy – it’s already affecting global shipping, fish behavior and heat

A biologist tracking Panama's climate for nearly four decades reports that the 2026-27 El Niño is shaping up to be the strongest recorded in over a century, with sea surface temperature anomalies potentially reaching 3 to 4 degrees Celsius above average. Fishing crews in Ecuador are chasing tuna farther offshore, coral reefs face bleaching alerts, and seabirds are showing up in Panama earlier and in larger numbers than usual as their food supply shifts north.

The consequences are already economic as well as ecological. The Panama Canal, dependent on rainfall to operate its locks, is moving fewer ships with less cargo, raising shipping costs and slowing deliveries worldwide. Farmers in Panama have been unable to plant crops, and the region's dry season is expected to arrive a month early.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.