By: Staff Writer
May 22, 2026
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in their State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2025 that the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region was affected by a La Niña event
There are many modes of natural variability in the climate system, often referred to as climate patterns or climate modes, which affect weather and climate at timescales ranging from days to months, or even decades.
In LAC, the large-scale tropical atmospheric circulation in 2025 was influenced by ongoing global warming and a short-lived La Niña event. Weak La Niña conditions at the end of 2024 dissipated in early 2025 and neutral conditions prevailed until La Niña conditions re-emerged toward the end of 2025.
WMO’s State of the Global Climate report 2025 confirms that 2015-2025 are the hottest 11-years on record, and that 2025 was the second or third hottest year on record, at about 1.43 °C above the 1850-1900 average. Extreme events around the world, including intense heat, heavy rainfall and tropical cyclones, caused disruption and devastation and highlighted the vulnerability of our inter-connected economies and societies.
The ocean continues to warm and absorb carbon dioxide. It has been absorbing the equivalent of about eighteen times the annual human energy use each year for the past two decades. Annual sea ice extent in the Arctic was at or near a record low, Antarctic sea ice extent was the third lowest on record, and glacier melt continued unabated, according to the report.
For the first time, the report includes the Earth’s energy imbalance as one of the key climate indicators.
The report also said: “Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are prolonged periods of extreme heat in the ocean that have a range of consequences for marine life and communities that depend on it.
“Extreme events Major climate drivers Climate-related impacts and risks Datasets and methods Contributors Endnotes No MHW Moderate Strong Severe Maximum category in 2025 Extreme No MHW Moderate Strong Severe Maximum category in 2025 20 15 20 Extreme 10 0 5 Mean surface value by month (millons of km2) 15 10 No MHW Moderate Strong Severe 30 Maximum category in 2025 Extreme Mean surface value by month (millons of km2) 0 5 30 25 25 20 15 Mean surface value by month (millons of km2).
“In 2025, the highest category of extreme MHWs was reported for the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and in the ocean area adjacent to Chile.
“The largest fraction of moderate to severe MHWs covering the WMO LAC area, exceeding 15 million km2, occurred during the months of February and March 2025. After the record years of MHW events covering this area in the years 2023 and 2024, the average area coverage decreased to lower values in 2025.”
The signs of a changing climate are unmistakable across Latin America and the Caribbean, from accelerating glacier loss and rising sea levels to extreme heat, floods and drought. These are the central findings of the WMO State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2025.
In 2025, the region experienced record-breaking heat, persistent drought, devastating tropical cyclones, accelerating glacier retreat and rising seas, with severe consequences for communities, food systems and economies across the region.
The report was produced by WMO in collaboration with National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, international data centres, leading climate research institutions, and United Nations partners, including PAHO, FAO and UNDRR.
Explore the findings in the interactive story map below and learn more about the global climate in the WMO Stat