El Niño is here. The climatic phenomenon officially began in June, but in the Southern Cone, particularly in Argentina, it began being felt with more intensity in August with heavy rainfall, floods and temperature changes.
El Niño is expected to peak between October and December and continue throughout the Southern Hemisphere summer, especially affecting the northeast of Argentina, Paraguay and the south of Brazil.
Dubbed “Super Niño,” it is expected to be one of the most intense episodes in four decades, and authorities are preparing for what will come.
The Argentine region currently experiencing the early effects of El Niño with more intensity is the Litoral, particularly in the northeastern provinces of Misiones, Corrientes and Entre Ríos. Those areas are crossed by several rivers.
Throughout the week, hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in Corrientes, Entre Ríos and Misiones after heavy rainfall caused a marked increase in the inflow of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers, leading to severe flooding. Even cattle had to be evacuated from fields completely covered by water.
INFO> Por las inundaciones en San Javier, Misiones, productores ganaderos deben salvar sus animales. Noten hasta donde llega el agua… #Misiones #SanJavier #RioUruguay #ElNiño pic.twitter.com/ceRmIfkFRM
— Juan Ayoroa (@JuaniAyoroaOK) October 14, 2026
On Monday, the binational hydroelectric plants Yacyretá (shared between Argentina and Paraguay) and Itaipú (Paraguay and Brazil) opened the gates to their dams to regulate water levels in response to increased river inflows. Yacyretá even suspended tourist visits to the plant for safety reasons.
EFECTO EL NIÑO: ABREN LAS COMPUERTAS DE ITAIPÚ Y YACYRETÁ Y SUSPENDEN LAS VISITAS POR LA CRECIDA DEL PARANÁ
— Ámbito Financiero (@Ambitocom) October 14, 2026
Las represas de Itaipú y Yacyretá abrieron sus compuertas ante el aumento del caudal de agua en la cuenca del río Paraná, en un contexto marcado por las lluvias intensas… pic.twitter.com/wxSyAob2IN
Flooding also affected Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, near the Triple Frontier area where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet, forcing authorities to implement evacuation operations.
Iguazú Falls
The impact of the rising water levels also hit the Iguazú Falls at the border between Misiones, Argentina, and Paraná, Brazil. The Iguazú national parks on each side of the border had to restrict access to the main attraction areas this week for safety reasons.
The Argentine Iguazú National Park announced that trails and walkways that lead to the waterfalls will remain closed “in line with the security protocol currently in place.” Nevertheless, the park is open and tourists can visit other attractions in it.
The decision was made “due to the recent rise in water levels and forecasts of high water flow that exceeds safety levels for walking on the walkways and balconies,” the park said. The restrictions will remain the same until the water level normalizes.
— Santiago Ravidlas (@SantiRavidlasPy) October 13, 2026
URGENTE: PELIGROSO TRABAJO | Se está desarmando la pasarela de las Cataratas del Iguazú lado Brasil
– Caudal 12000m3/s.
Garganta del Diablo. pic.twitter.com/kQz3vZ2qLz
On the Brazilian side, the company managing the park also restricted access to the viewing platform that allows tourists to stand over the Iguazú River and even had to remove the structure to avoid the water dragging it away.
A tourist staple and one of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the world, access to sectors of the Iguazú Falls parks is restricted from time to time when the water levels rise. However, on the Argentine side, access to the Garganta del Diablo — Devil’s Throat, the most famous waterfall in the park — has been closed since August, when the park staff removed the walkway structure to prevent potential damage as they expected increasing inflow in the following months.
The Iguazú River’s flow saw a sharp rise in recent days as it surpassed 12,000 cubic meters per second. The flow was expected to reach 13 million liters per second on Wednesday, while the typical average is 1.5 million liters per second.
— EL TIEMPO (@ELTIEMPO) October 12, 2026
Cierre total en las Cataratas del Iguazú por crecida histórica
Las intensas y extraordinarias lluvias registradas en las cuencas de los ríos Paraná e Iguazú obligaron a las autoridades a cerrar de manera preventiva el acceso al público en el Parque Nacional Iguazú.
De acuerdo… pic.twitter.com/SAAphPQ98L
What is El Niño?
According to Argentina’s National Meteorological Service, the “El Niño Southern Oscillation” (ENSO) is “a natural phenomenon characterized by fluctuations in ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, associated with changes in the atmosphere.” It has a major influence on weather conditions in various parts of the world.
The World Meteorological Organization states on its website that the phenomenon is composed of a phase of unusually warm temperatures, known as El Niño, and one of unusually cold temperatures. There can also be a neutral phase between them, and the transition between the opposing stages can happen from two to seven years. El Niño can last for up to 18 months, and La Niña for up to three years.
In a video posted by the Argentine National Meteorological Service, meteorologist José Luis Stella said that the predominant weather conditions between July, August and September in most of Argentina were “rainier than normal,” and also had higher temperatures.
Stella said that El Niño “will likely reach its peak of intensity” between October and December, and “persist at least throughout the next semester.”
The expert said that there are higher chances of registering rainfall above normal levels in most of the country through December, especially in the Litoral region, “where the El Niño signal is stronger.”
Rainfall in Buenos Aires will be normal or above normal, while there are higher chances of normal to colder temperatures in that area and the central region of Argentina.
He added that “more intense” weather events are expected as part of the El Niño phenomenon, especially in the center and northeast of the country, and recommended staying up to date with weather forecasts and alerts.
How are authorities preparing
In late September, the national government sent an email to citizens alerting them of the potential effects of El Niño, saying that there can be more rainfall and storms during the springtime in many regions of Argentina. They recommended cleaning drains and gutters and removing or securing objects that could be blown away during storms.
When there are storm alerts, they recommended leaving the house unless necessary, or seeking refuge if the person is outside, as well as not walking or driving through flooded streets. They also said to cut down power if water enters your house.
The National Meteorological Service sends a text message to Argentines’ phones when there are weather alerts and posts about them on social media. Information can also be found at the Federal Emergency Agency’s social media and website.
The national, provincial and municipal governments have already established a 2026/2027 coordination plan to face El Niño, including emergency protocols and the optimization of resources.
La entrada Heavy rain and floods: How is El Niño affecting Argentina se publicó primero en Buenos Aires Herald.