Browse Honduras Daily Stories

The El Niño phenomenon is intensifying and could raise Pacific temperatures 3–4 °C above normal from October through December, with Cenaos director Francisco Argeñal warning of potentially record-breaking warming that could exceed the historical maximum of 2.7 °C.

Seventy-five Honduran municipalities in red alert for severe drought requested early disbursement of August and September government transfers, with 63 of them already receiving early payments to address the El Niño-driven emergency.

Honduras's government declared a 120-day red alert for 75 municipalities hit by El Niño-driven drought, affecting over 134,000 families, and began distributing food aid while coordinating water access and agricultural protection measures.

Honduras's national disaster agency placed 75 municipalities on red alert, 71 on yellow alert, and 88 on green alert starting August 18 due to severe drought linked to the El Niño weather pattern.

Honduras's disaster agency is tracking two areas in the Pacific with 80% and 60% probability of cyclone formation, while Hurricane Lala moves westward posing no immediate threat to Honduras.

Through July 2026, 10 of 25 weather stations recorded their lowest rainfall since 2022, triggering food insecurity and water rationing across the dry corridor, with experts warning of crisis if rains fail in September and October.

After months of drought linked to El Niño, Honduras's national weather center predicts significantly heavier rainfall beginning in early September, offering relief to drought-stricken agricultural regions and food-insecure families.

A record-strength El Niño phenomenon will inhibit tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic and Caribbean during the peak hurricane season (August 15–October 15) through intensified wind shear and Saharan dust, though experts caution that some storms may still develop, particularly in late August and mid-October.

Climate experts say El Niño will intensify between October and November, bringing little relief to Honduras's drought-stricken dry corridor, where farmers report near-total crop losses and warn the crisis will persist for decades without adaptation measures.

The National Autonomous University of Honduras warns that rainfall could drop 30–40% below average starting in October across the Dry Corridor, the south, and Tegucigalpa as El Niño strengthens, threatening water supplies and the autumn harvest.

Drought linked to El Niño has pushed Honduras's disaster agency (COPECO) to place 75 municipalities in the dry corridor under indefinite yellow alert, while 49 remain on green alert and 113 are under monitoring for reduced rainfall across six departments.

Congress unanimously approved a measure requiring the emergency agency Copeco, the Agriculture Ministry, and the municipal association Amhon to report within two weeks on drought conditions affecting 75 municipalities in the Dry Corridor, where El Niño has cut rainfall by half.

Honduras is spending 62 million lempiras (roughly $2.5 million) to aid 75 municipalities hit by El Niño-driven drought, with 38 facing the highest food-security risks and receiving priority support for water, food, health care, and irrigation.

Honduras's emergency agency raised drought alerts across 237 of the country's 298 municipalities due to reduced rainfall linked to El Niño, with 75 municipalities in the dry corridor placed under yellow alert indefinitely.

Cenaos forecasters say the canícula — a mid-summer lull within the rainy season — combined with moderate El Niño conditions will reduce, but not eliminate, rainfall across Honduras from around July 15 to August 15, with high temperatures and only scattered light showers expected.

Climate experts warn that El Niño strengthening could prolong the dry season (canícula) from its usual six weeks to 45–60 days, reducing rainfall by 40–60% and straining water supplies, agriculture, and hydroelectric power across Honduras, with Tegucigalpa's reservoirs at critical levels.

Authorities are considering upgrading drought alerts from green to yellow for 75 municipalities in the Dry Corridor and possibly adding 40 more, as recent rains have failed to reverse critical water deficits affecting drinking water, agriculture, and forest-fire risk.

Honduras's National Center for Atmospheric, Oceanographic and Seismic Studies (Cenaos) says dry conditions will dominate the coming days with no significant weather system bringing heavy rain, offering relief to regions like Olancho and Gracias a Dios that recently suffered flooding.

The World Meteorological Organization projects a rapid shift to strong El Niño conditions from July through September 2026, bringing above-normal temperatures and irregular rainfall that officials warn could trigger drought stress on crops, water supplies, and energy demand in vulnerable southern and western departments.

Agricultural leaders recommend Honduran smallholder farmers postpone planting until at least September due to a prolonged dry season and a forecast 40% rainfall deficit linked to a strong El Niño pattern, which threatens six drought-vulnerable departments.

Honduras's weather agency warns that El Niño, confirmed by NOAA, could extend into early 2027 and cause a prolonged dry season with rainfall deficits exceeding 40% in parts of the country, threatening corn and bean production and food prices in vulnerable regions.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina warned that Honduras faces a prolonged dry season exceeding two months due to El Niño, threatening grain production and food security, though the government has allocated 1.5 billion lempiras in production incentives and will provide technical support to farmers.

Honduras's emergency agency Copeco widened its drought alert from 60 to 75 municipalities across six departments, warning that El Niño conditions could extend dry spells for weeks and are already straining water supplies and threatening crops and livestock in the dry corridor.

A tropical wave moving across Honduras on Monday will bring scattered showers up to 20 millimeters in the eastern and central mountain regions, but El Niño conditions will limit relief from the ongoing water deficit.

Honduras's National Risk and Contingency Secretariat will analyze 75 municipalities in the Dry Corridor already under alert due to El Niño-linked low rainfall, evaluating whether to adjust or expand warnings as the critical rainy months approach.