Latin America episodes of extreme heat in 2025.
São Paulo, May 18 (EFE)
Latin America experienced unprecedented episodes of extreme heat in 2025, with temperatures well above average and widespread droughts, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released Monday in Brazil.
The United Nations agency warned that sea levels are rising faster than the global average along the South American Atlantic coast and the coasts of Central America and the Caribbean, while the oceans continue to warm.
Furthermore, Andean glaciers are losing mass at an accelerated rate, jeopardizing the region’s long-term water security.
“The signs of a changing climate are unequivocal across Latin America and the Caribbean,” stated WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo in the study.
“This report highlights the increased risks, but also our increased capacity to anticipate and act to save lives and protect livelihoods,” she added.
The WMO highlights that 2025 ranked between the fifth and eighth warmest year on record for the region, with an average temperature around 0.40 °C above the average recorded between 1991 and 2020.
In this context, it cites the 52.7 °C reached in Mexicali, which set a new national record in Mexico, and the all-time high reached in the Brazilian city of São Paulo at the end of 2025 (37.2 °C).
It also notes the numerous heat waves across Mesoamerica, which resulted in temperatures exceeding 40 and 45 °C.
Widespread droughts also affected parts of Latin America, causing losses in the agricultural sector and creating conditions more conducive to wildfires.
In this regard, up to 85% of Mexican territory was affected by a lack of rainfall, and there were precipitation deficits of more than 40% in parts of southern South America.
In contrast, Latin America was the scene last year of extreme rainfall, severe flooding—with deaths and tens of thousands affected in Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico—and devastating tropical cyclones.
One of the most striking examples was Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica.
Its passage through the country left 45 dead and caused economic losses of nearly $9 billion (approximately €7.75 billion), equivalent to 41% of its gross domestic product (GDP).
