Historically strong 2026 Super El Niño could have this devastating effect on California
A lot has been written about how this year’s Super El Niño is likely to be the strongest on record and could result in extreme weather through 2027 . But what we are just learning now, is how it may cause serious damage to California’s coast, impacting sea levels, and possibly triggering floods. El Niño is forecast to raise sea levels along California’s coast by about a foot by the middle of next…
A historically strong 2026 Super El Niño could have devastating consequences for California's coast, according to recent findings. Oceanographer Dillon Amaya from North Carolina State University warns that the climate pattern may raise sea levels along California's coastline by approximately a foot by mid-February. This is due to the El Niño phenomenon pushing water from Mexico and Central America northward towards the U.S. coastline.
The resulting "Kelvin waves" are prone to getting "stuck" and sloshing up and down along the coastline, leading to coastal erosion and severe flooding, particularly in low-lying areas such as San Francisco Bay. Climate scientist Daniel Swain at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources explains that while El Niño typically impacts precipitation, the emergence of these coastally trapped waves is among the first signs of its arrival.
Despite El Niño not guaranteeing a wet winter in California, the forecast suggests a very strong, potentially historically intense event that will likely bring above-average precipitation during the upcoming winter.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
