Argentinian authorities briefly barred tourists from the Iguazu Falls after heavy rain linked to a supersized El Niño pushed the Iguazu River far above its usual flow, raising concern that it would break its banks.
National park officials imposed the precautionary closure on Monday, when the river’s flow passed 12,000 cubic metres per second — over six times its average rate.
The park later announced it would reopen to visitors on Tuesday, pointing to a “gradual decline” in the river’s flow.
Iguazu national park director José María Hervás told the Buenos Aires Times the closure was ordered because “it just keeps raining” and because the volume of water discharged from dams upstream on the Iguazu River had not dropped.
The Iguazu Falls, listed by Unesco as one of the world’s largest and most striking waterfalls, lies on the Argentina-Brazil border and stretches roughly 2,700 metres.
Argentinian officials closed their side of the park in both 2023 and 2024 because of flooding caused by an earlier El Niño cycle.
Meteorologists state that the 2026-2027 El Niño, which drives global shifts in winds and rainfall along with erratic weather, is certain to be the largest ever recorded. Scientists also now believe human-caused global heating is making El Niño events more intense.
El Niño originates in the equatorial Pacific, where changes in winds let large amounts of heat escape the oceans and warm the atmosphere. It develops during the northern hemisphere autumn and reaches its peak in December, but its effects continue well into the following year.
Argentina’s national meteorological service said last month that the country’s coastal region had recorded above-average rainfall “similar to that seen during strong El Niño events”.
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