The Panama Canal Authority will reduce daily vessel transits through the Panama Canal from 36 to 34 starting September 3 because of low water levels.
Daily transits will drop further to 32 vessels from September 15 as an intensifying Super El Nino weather pattern reduces precipitation across the watershed.
According to the Panama Canal Authority, the restriction is required because of falling water levels in two artificial lakes that feed the canal system.
In a statement explaining the operational changes, the authority said:
'Despite the arrival of the rainy season in Panama, and the water-saving measures implemented by the Panama Canal to mitigate the adverse effects of the El Niño event, current watershed conditions, including below-expected precipitation in the Canal watershed, require additional action to support the long-term sustainability of transit operations.'
The transit cuts follow earlier water conservation steps taken by canal operators, including lowering the maximum draft - the depth a vessel sits in the water - for the largest ships.
Drought conditions in Central America
Central America is in the throes of a severe drought driven by the Super El Nino weather pattern, which warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and triggers global atmospheric disruptions.
Rainfall in the canal area between May and August fell 34 per cent below its historical average, according to figures released by the Panama Canal Authority.
The authority warned that the intensifying Super El Nino could reduce regional rainfall even further in the coming months.
The Panama Canal Authority confirmed it will continue to closely monitor weather conditions, watershed inflows, and lake levels to evaluate whether further operational adjustments will be necessary.
The authority stated:
'Should additional operational adjustments become necessary, the canal will provide customers with timely updates.'
It added:
'Because weather conditions are changing more rapidly than originally anticipated, the Panama Canal will make every reasonable effort to announce any future adjustments as far in advance as possible. However, the timing of such announcements will depend on evolving conditions and the availability of updated information.'
Impact on global maritime trade
The reduction in daily vessel transits is expected to have far-reaching effects on international commerce, as the Panama Canal handles five per cent of global maritime trade and approximately 40 per cent of US container traffic.
The Panama Canal is an artificial 82-kilometre waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean across the Isthmus of Panama. It allows cargo ships to travel between the oceans without navigating around the southern tip of South America.
The canal relies on freshwater supplied by Gatun Lake and Alajuela Lake to fill its lock chambers, which raise and lower ships during their transit between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Intensifying Super El Nino phenomenon
The announcement by canal authorities comes shortly after climate scientists warned that the Super El Nino is evolving and could become one of the strongest events on record.
New measurements show that El Nino conditions are strengthening across the tropical Pacific, with sea surface temperatures displaying a steady upward trend.
Climate models reveal a clear and sustained increase in ocean temperatures, with the latest weekly data showing sea surface temperatures in the region standing 2.7 degrees Celsius above average.
The majority of climate indicators point towards a very strong event that could cause widespread disruptions across the globe.
In a blog post detailing the phenomenon, researchers from Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research team confirmed the accelerating warming trend.
The Columbia University team wrote:
'The 2026 El Niño event continues to intensify across the central-eastern equatorial Pacific. The traditional Niño 3.4 index shows a clear and sustained increase, with the most recent seasonal mean reaching +1.51 °C during May-July 2026 and the July monthly value increasing to +2.03 °C. The latest weekly Niño 3.4 index, centered on August 12, 2026, reached +2.7 °C. Together, these observations indicate that El Niño is strengthening further and evolving toward a very strong event.'
The El Nino climate cycle explained
El Nino and La Nina represent the warm and cool phases of a recurring climate pattern known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO.
The ENSO pattern shifts irregularly every two to seven years, triggering predictable disruptions in global temperatures, wind patterns, and rainfall distribution.
According to Climate.gov, the ENSO cycle consists of three distinct phases:
- El Nino: A period of ocean surface warming in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. Rainfall decreases over Indonesia and increases over the tropical Pacific Ocean, while normal easterly surface winds weaken or reverse direction.
- La Nina: A cooling phase marked by below-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. Rainfall increases over Indonesia, decreases over the central tropical Pacific, and easterly winds strengthen.
- Neutral: A transition phase when tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures remain close to historical averages, with neither El Nino nor La Nina active.
