The warming of tropical Pacific waters associated with El Niño alters rainfall patterns around the world, The map shows where precipitation typically increases and declines. (Source: Columbia University International Research Institute for Climate and Society)
If El Niño brings drier weather to Central America, forest fires will rise even higher on the region’s list of concerns. Land-use change, global warming and other factors are already scarring the region with greater frequency and intensity. So far in 2026, Guatemala has recorded 1,095 forest fires, while in Honduras, fire has affected more than 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres), and in El Salvador, the number of fires more than doubled compared to the previous year. In Guatemala, the pressure from fires is concentrated in the north of the country. By May, the department of Petén had recorded more than 140 fires that had affected some 4,400 hectares (10,900 acres), mostly within the Maya Biosphere Reserve (RBM)—the largest protected area in the country. Nationwide, more than 2,500 hotspots were recorded, distributed across almost all of Guatemalan territory. Fire has been dramatically less prevalent, however, in one type of... [Log in to read more]
