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How El Niño Reaches the Coast
Conditions in the Pacific Ocean are shaping the way communities across the globe will experience weather patterns and coastal flooding in the coming months. El Niño is the name given to a global phenomenon wherein weakened surface winds across the Pacific position maximum sea surface temperatures in the eastern and central equatorial Pacific. A strong El Niño has been building for the past 6 months. Sea surface temperature patterns reflect the movement of underlying warm water masses as they traverse the Pacific from west to east along the equator, bombarding the coastal barrier and traveling northward along the west coasts of the Americas. The warm water bulges in the upper ocean raise the height of the ocean surface as they travel, creating elevated risk of coastal flooding for many communities.
At the Shore
Typical (mean) sea level, tides, and El Niño contribute to reach the total water level. Select a beach to see how and when that total reaches flooding levels at the beach.
Select a Beach
Water Level on the Beach (m)
How It Adds Up:
Highest Water Each Day
Higher Tides Along California
Along the coast of southern to central California, tides have been higher than normal due to El Niño’s increased baseline sea level. Additionally, storm and wave driven increases in water level are more impactful, as demonstrated by the recent impacts of Tropical Storm Rachel.
Sea Level Along the Coast Since 1950
These plots show the monthly average sea level along the coast from historical NOAA tide gauge data. Buttons choose the stretch of coast for averaging.
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