From Sept. 3, the number of vessels allowed through each day will fall from 36 to 34 due to low water levels in two artificial lakes that feed the canal, the Panama Canal Authority said.
It will drop to 32 from Sept. 15 on, the agency said.
Central America is in the throes of a severe drought driven by El Nino, a weather pattern that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, triggering worldwide changes in winds, atmospheric pressure and rainfall.
Cargo vessels transit through locks of Agua Clara at the Panama Canal, in Colon, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama, May 3, 2024. Photo by Reuters
In the area of the canal rainfall from May to August is down by 34% from its historical average, the authority said, adding that El Nino could cut it even more.
