El Nino and high tide floding, a possible double whammy for some coastal communities in 2026
Weakened Trade Winds Trigger Kelvin Waves Toward the Americas
Insights
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That warming pushes the Pacific jet stream south of its normal position, changing storm tracks across the country.
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Kelvin waves carry warm water eastward, raising sea levels along the way.
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The warming can persist for several months or longer, setting the stage for more flooding.
The chain reaction behind El Niño starts somewhere most people never think to look: the wind blowing across the surface of the tropical Pacific. When that wind loses its usual strength, everything downstream of it begins to shift.
Once that shift is underway, its effects don't stay contained to one region of the ocean. What begins as a change in water temperature thousands of miles offshore eventually affects the atmosphere itself, altering patterns that extend much closer to home.
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