Heavy rains battering Peru since last December have left at least 56 people dead and more than 4,000 affected as of yesterday, according to the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci). The intense precipitation has caused flooding, landslides, thunderstorms, and rivers to overflow in various regions of the Andean and Amazonian country, where the vulnerability of rural and peri-urban communities has been laid bare by the sheer volume of water and mud.
The state response is attempting to coordinate interventions by various authorities—local, regional, and national—to clear evacuation routes, reinforce health centers, and ensure the availability of relief resources in anticipation of new events during the most intense phase of the La Niña phenomenon, which is triggering severe episodes of rainfall in various parts of the world at a highly unusual time of year.
Heavy rains leave at least 56 dead in Peru
Among the 56 officially recorded victims, at least fourteen died from electrical discharges during storms, a brutal reminder of how severe weather intensifies its impact on daily life in a country where the civil protection system is overwhelmed by the frequency of extreme events.
Authorities have warned that more than 1,100 districts—along the coast, in the highlands, and in the jungle—remain at high risk of landslides and mud-and-rock flows as rains of varying intensity continue, directly associated with the season that officially runs from December to April. Basic infrastructure such as homes, roads, and drainage systems has been severely damaged, with more than 1,500 homes destroyed or declared uninhabitable, a situation that complicates access to essential services and emergency response in isolated areas.
The harshest face of this rainy season is seen in the affected communities, where families have lost not only loved ones but also their homes, crops, and means of livelihood. In regions such as the central highlands and the southern Andes, river overflows have swept away rural roads and cut off entire populations, while in the Amazon jungle the collapse of soils has buried lots and fragile structures.
For many, access to drinking water and food remains precarious: blocked roads and destroyed bridges prevent the arrival of humanitarian aid. Authorities have called for reinforcing roofs and establishing early warning systems linked to local authorities, but the prolonged rains are making it increasingly uncertain whether a crisis that repeats itself year after year can be contained, with profound consequences for thousands of families.
📢 Puno: el 1/2 se registraron #VientosFuertes en el centro poblado Patapata, distrito de #SantaRosa, provincia El Collao, que causaron daños a viviendas. Municipalidad distrital culminó la #EDAN y entregó bienes de ayuda humanitaria (techo y abrigo) a las personas damnificadas y… pic.twitter.com/dsi5jkj4cY
— COEN – INDECI (@COENPeru) February 3, 2026
Why is it raining so much? The La Niña phenomenon and its global effect
The global climate context plays a key role in this intensification of rainfall. The La Niña phenomenon, a cold phase of the climate cycle known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is characterized by the cooling of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which alters atmospheric circulation patterns and, consequently, the distribution of rainfall in various parts of the world.
La Niña is a natural phenomenon that is part of a recurring cycle that occurs every few years when the trade winds strengthen and push warm waters toward the western Pacific, increasing the upwelling of cold waters in the east near the coasts of South America. These changes in the ocean and the atmosphere influence how and where it rains across the planet.
It is worth recalling that just two years ago—throughout 2024—the planet suffered the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, characterized by a lack of rainfall, which led to severe drought and even wildfires that affected various regions of the world, especially in South America.
During La Niña episodes, certain tropical and subtropical areas experience significant increases in precipitation and a higher likelihood of severe storms, while other regions may face droughts. Although the direct correlation with each specific weather disaster is complex, in years with La Niña conditions, abnormal rainfall patterns have been observed in regions such as Southeast Asia and the Pacific coast of South America.
For example, recent studies link extreme rainfall phenomena and climate events in southern Africa and Asia to the combined effect of La Niña and climate change trends that load more moisture into the atmosphere, intensifying rainfall and the risks associated with flooding.
In the case of Peru, although the heavy rainy season is part of its annual climate cycle, the context of an especially rainy start to 2026 is linked to the La Niña pattern which, even if it weakens or transitions toward neutral conditions in the coming months, continues to leave its mark on regional atmospheric conditions.
This combination of natural meteorological factors with a progressively warming climate creates a scenario in which intense rainfall is more frequent and dangerous, challenging both vulnerable communities and governments’ response capacities.