El Niño alters ocean patterns, impacting hurricane seasons in Atlantic and Pacific
The current Super El Niño is disrupting hurricane seasons in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, leading to unusual storm activity and increased flood risk along U.S. coastlines.
This year's record-breaking Super El Niño is significantly altering hurricane seasons in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. While the Atlantic has remained unusually calm for this time of year, the eastern Pacific is experiencing a highly active storm season.
The Atlantic hurricane season, typically in full swing by late September, has not produced a single major hurricane. USA Today reports that normally there would be seven to eight hurricanes brewing in the Atlantic by now. This year has seen only seven tropical storms, a stark deviation from the norm.
Conversely, the usually calmer eastern Pacific has generated eight hurricanes and 18 tropical storms. Hurricane Nolo, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds near 155 mph, has caused life-threatening surf and rip current conditions affecting the Hawaiian Islands.
As a result of El Niño's influence, sea levels along the California coast are forecast to rise by approximately one foot by mid-next month. This rise may trigger "Kelvin waves," which can cause severe coastal erosion and flooding in low-lying areas like the San Francisco Bay Area. Fast Company has previously reported on the potential impacts to California's coast.