This is our photo of the week, included in the El Faro English newsletter.
A child takes a dip to cool off from the heat along the banks of the Grande or Choluteca River, which separates the historic center of Tegucigalpa from Comayagüela, one of the most densely populated and dangerous areas of the capital of Honduras. In the background is the Carías Bridge, which connects the two areas.
Over the past week, Honduras has been hit by a severe heat wave that reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the southern part of the country. Honduran authorities suspended in-person school days from May 11 to 15 and switched to online learning to avoid exposing students to the high temperatures caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
The U.S. National Weather Service forecasts a major temperature spike in 2026, often informally referred to as a “Super El Niño” event. Some climatologists predict this year’s average heat increase could reach a level unseen in a century and a half. In Honduras, the hardest-hit area has been the Pacific department of Choluteca, bordering El Salvador.