El Niño report warns of California flood risk, including SFO – USA Today

El Niño report warns of California flood risk, including SFO  USA Today

With sea levels rising and a strong El Niño expected to peak this winter, parts of California's coast, major transportation routes, and even San Francisco International Airport could face an elevated risk of flooding, according to a new UC Davis report. Drawing on recent flooding in Southern California, researchers identified vulnerable areas across Central and Northern California that could see similar impacts if powerful storms, high tides, and elevated ocean levels converge in the coming months. “We face the risk — though not the certainty — of catastrophic flooding in a variety of coastal towns this winter,” report author Fraser Shilling said in a statement. “It’s important to be informed of risk so you can make decisions.” Here's what to know about how El Niño could affect California and which areas the UC Davis report identified as high-risk this winter.

Gov. Gavin Newsom in late September declared a state of emergency to prepare for El Niño, mobilizing state resources and preparing infrastructure and emergency supplies ahead of time El Niño, a naturally occurring phenomenon that warms ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, has continued to strengthen and is expected to reach strong-to-very strong conditions from January to March, according to NOAA. In California, El Niño can lead to "a triple threat for coastal hazards in