Policy

California, Southern states brace for strong El Niño system

The National Weather Service said last month that one has developed in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Manhattan beach lifeguards watch as a storm moves onshore at Manhattan Beach, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Western states and the federal government are preparing supplies and emergency repair kits ahead of what is expected to be an unusually strong El Niño weather system this year that could bring torrential rains and strong winds.

The National Weather Service said last month that an El Niño system has developed in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Forecasters predicted a 63% chance that sea surface temperatures will exceed 2 degrees Celsius above average, a threshold past which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration considers it a “very strong” system.

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