El Niño Arrives in June with Intense Rains, Warns Paraguay's Meteorology Director

Paraguay's Director of Meteorology and Hydrology, Eduardo Mingo, confirmed the arrival of the El Niño phenomenon in June, with forecasts of excessive rainfall, and denied sensationalist terms such as 'El Niño Godzilla'. The government has formed a technical committee with the National Emergency Secretariat, Ministry of Defense, and Ministry of Agriculture to coordinate mitigation actions.

El Niño chega em junho com chuvas intensas, alerta diretor de Meteorologia do Paraguai
El Niño chega em junho com chuvas intensas, alerta diretor de Meteorologia do Paraguai

Paraguay's Director of Meteorology and Hydrology, Eduardo Mingo, stated that the El Niño phenomenon is expected to arrive in the country in June, bringing excessive rainfall. In an interview, Mingo denied the use of terms such as 'El Niño Godzilla', 'Super El Niño', or 'El Niño XXL', classifying them as sensationalist and without technical basis. He explained that although the intensity of the phenomenon may vary from moderate to very strong, scientific terminology does not include these expressions.

'When the indicator exceeds 2 degrees above normal, it is considered very strong. It can reach 4 or 5 degrees, but neither the meteorological services nor the World Meteorological Organization speak of 'Godzilla',' Mingo clarified. He highlighted that the United States Meteorological Service has already issued a bulletin warning of the probability of an intense event, but stressed that it is still a projection, not a confirmed fact.

Given the forecast scenario, the Paraguayan government formed a technical committee with the National Emergency Secretariat (SEN), the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Agriculture to coordinate preventive actions. The National Emergency Executive Council also met with President Santiago Peña to outline risk anticipation strategies, focusing on continuous monitoring and reducing the impact on vulnerable communities.

Mingo recommended that the public follow only the official bulletins of the Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology (Dinac) to avoid misinformation. He also mentioned that the Ministry of Agriculture has already released a special bulletin on the current low temperatures, which may cause frost and affect crops, but noted that the arrival of El Niño may mitigate the intense cold this year.