California Faces Higher Winter Storm Risk From Record El Niño, Prompting Emergency Declaration
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 6
California Faces Higher Winter Storm Risk From Record El Niño, Prompting Emergency Declaration
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 6
Summary
California is bracing for a much higher-than-normal risk of powerful, moisture-laden storms late this fall and winter, with the threat expected to intensify from December onward.
A record-breaking El Niño in the Pacific is driving that outlook, creating conditions with no modern precedent for a state highly sensitive to ocean shifts.
Forecasters say the unusually strong event could supercharge extreme weather, raising the chances of flooding and coastal erosion alongside heavier winter storms.
The mounting risk already prompted California to declare a statewide emergency last month, underscoring how closely the state’s winter outlook is tied to Pacific conditions.