SANTIAGO, Chile: Latin America and the Caribbean should prepare for La Niña, a climate pattern expected to intensify the Atlantic hurricane season and increase climate variability across the region. The World Meteorological Organization highlighted these concerns during a webinar on Tuesday as Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 storm on record, devastated the eastern Caribbean.
La Niña originates with colder-than-normal ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, leading to both floods and droughts, and increasing hurricane frequency in the Caribbean. Jose Luis Stella of the Regional Climate Center for Southern South America warned that La Niña could bring “rapid variability” to the region’s already extreme climate.
Experts also noted the potential for La Niña to cause historic droughts similar to those between 2020 and 2023. Stella emphasized the severe impact of the previous prolonged La Niña event, which caused significant droughts and a swift transition to El Niño.
Both La Niña and El Niño, which warms the tropical Pacific Ocean’s surface and affects jet stream winds, have historically disrupted regional economies by damaging crops like wheat, rice, and corn.
These patterns, which have no set schedule, usually endure nine to twelve months and happen every two to seven years.
