El Niño 2026 could combine with these separate phenomena to bring intense flooding sooner than you think

Throughout the last week of October, intense tides caused record-high water levels across the Southern California coast. Ocean water flooded the Redondo Beach boardwalk. Tide levels in San Diego topped 8 feet above baseline. Water level readings were among the highest in more than a century, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This year’s record-hot Super El Niño helped push those water levels to the extreme. But El Niño also combined with a natural phenomenon ca...