If you’re ordering Christmas gifts online you should not wait until the last minute, here’s why (and you can thank climate change)

Cargo ships carrying precious gems and gifts galore for the holiday season may not make it in time to the UK. According to reports, the Panama Canal is experiencing one of its worst droughts on record due to the acceleration of climate change.

Christmas shoppers in the UK and as far as the United States might want to make sure their lists are checked twice and checked early. With the arrival of the winter season, also came the arrival of what weather experts are calling the El Nino. The El Nino Climate Phenomenon is creating dramatic conditions along the critical shipping lane that allows goods to flow from one end of the world to the other.

According to the Panama Canal Authority, shipping delays are probably inevitable. Some are warning that specifically Christmas in the UK will be affected due to the delays. Some expect the delays could last as long as four weeks or longer as water levels in the area continue to fall to historically low levels.