According to experts, Latin America and the Caribbean should prepare for the arrival of La Niña, a climate pattern that is expected to fuel a highly active hurricane season in the Atlantic and greater climate variability across the region.
The World Meteorological Organization organized a webinar on the threat of La Niña, as Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season and the earliest storm on record to reach the maximum Category 5 level on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, was tearing across the eastern Caribbean.
La Niña, characterized by colder-than-normal ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, is linked to both floods and drought, as well as an increase in the frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean.
José Luis Stella, of the Regional Climate Center for Southern South America, warned that the transition to the La Niña phenomenon could bring “rapid variability” to an already extreme climate in the region. The experts said that La Niña could cause a repeat of historic droughts in South America similar to those recorded between 2020 and 2023.
Both La Niña and El Niño, which involves a warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean’s surface, have had costly impacts on regional economies in Latin America by affecting the production of crops such as wheat, rice, and corn.
The experts emphasized that these climate patterns tend to last between nine and 12 months and usually occur every two to seven years, although they do not have a regular calendar. The upcoming La Niña event is expected to pose significant challenges for the region, requiring preparedness and adaptation measures to mitigate the potential impacts on agriculture, infrastructure, and communities.