Drought conditions intensified by the El Niño climate pattern have disrupted shipping through the Panama Canal, delaying deliveries of new Magic: The Gathering trading cards across North America. The disruption highlights how climate change and extreme weather can affect global supply chains even for products far removed from the regions experiencing drought.
Wizards of the Coast a subsidiary of Hasbro, announced in August that deliveries of a new set of Magic: The Gathering cards would be delayed across North America. The company attributed the delays to congestion at the Panama Canal a major international shipping route that handles nearly 6% of global maritime trade and around 40% of US container traffic.
The canal relies on freshwater reservoirs to supply nearby communities and operate its lock system, which raises and lowers vessels as they cross the isthmus. However low rainfall has reduced water availability forcing authorities to restrict the number of ships allowed to pass through the waterway.
Between May and August 2026 parts of Panama received about one third less rainfall than the long term average. The dry conditions have been intensified by El Niño a climate pattern associated with warmer than average sea surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean and changes in weather patterns worldwide.
Ross Griffith, head of Americas freight pricing at Argus Media, said El Niño can bring particularly severe drought to Central America. He warned that the combination of existing drought conditions and the region’s approaching dry season could further reduce the water available to sustain canal operations.
In response to low reservoir levels, the Panama Canal Authority reduced daily vessel crossing slots by nearly 20%. The restrictions increased competition for passage, pushing shipping fees as high as $5.3 million in September surpassing the previous record of $4.6 million set in August.
Similar disruptions occurred during the 2023 El Niño when the canal reduced daily crossings even further. The latest restrictions demonstrate how recurring climate patterns can create significant challenges for a route that supports international trade.
The effects have reached the gaming industry. Magic: The Gathering launched in 1993, has more than 50 million players worldwide. Its new card collections are released several times a year attracting collectors and players who use the cards to build customised decks and compete in tournaments.
The game has also developed a substantial resale market with rare cards sometimes fetching millions of dollars. Hasbro reported more than $1 billion in revenue from the game during the first half of 2026 underlining its commercial importance.
Despite the game’s popularity retailers have struggled to obtain some products on schedule. At Dice Dojo, a game shop in Chicago, customers gathered in September for the launch of a new collection, but some requested products were unavailable. Store staff said deliveries were arriving in stages and that they could not confirm when certain items would be available for sale.
The delays illustrate how disruptions to maritime transport can affect retailers and consumers far beyond the locations directly experiencing extreme weather. When a major shipping route becomes congested, delivery schedules can be affected across multiple industries.
El Niño is expected to continue into early 2027 raising concerns that Panama’s upcoming dry season could put further pressure on canal operations. The extent of the impact will depend partly on rainfall and reservoir replenishment in the coming months.