September 9- What is "El Niño"?
We cover what "El Niño" is, what countries does it affect and what to expect.We also talk about some conversation topics of last month.
On this update:
-Beware of "El Niño".
-Natural Disasters of August 2026 in South America.
-Messi is retiring.
-Get ready for Mexico festivities.
-Politics and Business highlights.
-Newly elected Colombia President breaking protocol.
-Misc
Here at the Spanish Update, we strive to help English speakers build life lasting friendships with Hispanic folks. We do our best to provide context and cues about current events in our countries, so you can strike up a conversation with co-workers, extended family, strangers in the streets, or basically anyone.
We also know it is hard traveling around, or have someone you care about visiting or living in a Latin country, we aim to keep travelers, students, business people or anyone informed about events that may affect your experience while visiting us.
From the bottom of our hearts:
Thankyou for helping us create bridges between our communities.
Hello and welcome,
The current days are very sad and worrying for a lot of people of our community, a series of natural disasters happened all around South America. There has been material and personal losses, please be understanding and supportive.
For all the travelers in South America, be cautious, specially in distant towns of the coast and the Andes. If you need help don't hesitate to reach out at:
the.spanish.update@gmail.com
Lets start:
Beware of "El Niño"
Hundreds of years ago, Peruvian fishermen noticed warmer currents around Christmas time, so the named it after "El Niño Dios".
"El Niño", which can be translated to "the little boy", is a climate event (usually every 2 - 7 years) that causes heavy rains and floods in South America. According to NOAA there is a 90% chance of a "Super Niño" this fall and winter.
El Niño affects every country in different ways:
-Perú and Ecuador: "El Niño" causes heavy rain, floods and mudslides, especially in port cities like Callao (Peru) and Guayaquil (Ecuador).
-Argentina and Uruguay: At high risk of floods, especially in coastal cities
-Chile: depending on the area. The northern regions like Antofagasta and Atacama will have extensive droughts.The southern regions will see heavy rains.
"El Niño" usually start building up around August all the way to December,
reaching its high from mid December to April. It usually lasts from 9 to 12 months.
Natural Disasters of august 2026 in South America.
Extreme weather phenomena hit several South American Countries:
-Peru:
On august 20,the town of Aniso, in the southern region of Peru was affected by a MW 4.0 magnitude earthquake .
On august 29, the region of Caylloma was hit by another earthquake, this time of a MW 6.7 Magnitude. both regions are located close to the Arequipa region (south of Peru).
On September 1. The Peruvian government declared a two month "emergency state" in 22 regions(mostly the coast and the Andes) at high risk of heavy rain and flooding caused by "El Niño”. It also caused last august to be on historic high temperatures.
-Colombia:
On august 10, a 7.4 earthquake hit the western region of Colombia, which prompted a state of emergency, the death toll stands at 321 .The Region of Cali which is the 3rd most populated city was severely damaged.Colombia's weather service reported august days in some municipalities with a temperature topping at 103 Fahrenheit. This and wildfires in the region of Tolima are likely caused by "El Niño".
-Venezuela:
Just seconds apart, 2 earthquakes hit Venezuela on June 24 , they had magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 . the death toll currently sits over 6000.
If you want to ask about someone’s family , you could ask:
“How is the family doing?”
Messi is retiring
This man needs no introduction.
Some people call him the greatest football player that ever existed. He is also retiring from his national football team.
After winning 8 Ballon d’Or (A yearly French award presented to the best player),helping Argentina win the world cup 2022, and a historical run in European teams, he wrote on Instagram:
“It was a decision that hurt – and still hurts deep down – but I understand that the time has come,(...)Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team. I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here.”
You could ask someone’s opinion about this topic by saying:
“I heard Messi is retiring, what are your thoughts on that?”
Don’t blame us if they’re still talking about it hours later.
Get ready for Mexico festivities
On September 16 Mexico has one of its biggest celebrations:
Mexico independence day!
An amazing showing of culture and love for its country, it may be a good opportunity for a quick escape to Mexico. Don’t forget to listen for ”El grito" the night before!.
And even if you are not able to travel,you could find the Mexican closest to your heart and ask :
-What are we doing on the 16?
You may even get invited to the "Carne Asada"
Politics and Business highlights
-Venezuela will cede control over one fifth of the country’s oil to the US. As per an agreement reached by the American secretary of Energy: Chris Wright.
Newly elected Colombia President is breaking protocol.
This man is Abelardo de la Espriella, the new elected Colombian president, he wants to make sure that everyone knows that he is breaking from previous presidents. For starters, he did not have his inauguration at Bogota, like every other president.Previous presidents were not invited.
Misc
What we are listening to these days:
No one can say it better than this King:
@malnjake Latin women
♬ original sound - Mal & Jake
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