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Join today<\/a><\/p>\n \n Already a member? Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n Your support makes all the difference.Read more<\/p>\n A massive wave of energy is expected to slam into the California<\/a> coast in October, sending sea levels rising<\/a> by up to a foot<\/a> and threatening coastal homes and ecosystems.<\/p>\n The so-called Kelvin wave forms because of sudden changes in wind speed and force, and has the ability to push warm water vast distances for months, according to forecaster AccuWeather<\/a>.<\/p>\n In this case, the Kelvin wave is driven by strengthening super El Ni\u00f1o<\/a> conditions, experts say.<\/p>\n The natural climate pattern is forecast to bring more life-threatening flooding rainstorms<\/a> and extreme temperatures across the U.S. into next year, worsened by human-caused climate change. <\/p>\n The Kelvin wave is \u201cone of the first, if not the first indication that El Ni\u00f1o is here,\u201d Dillon Amaya, an assistant professor in the department of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University, told The New York Times<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Past El Ni\u00f1o events have raised West Coast water levels by more than 7.9 inches, according to NASA<\/a>. <\/p>\n Unfortunately for Californians, that\u2019s not the only reason water levels are expected to swell, too.<\/p>\n The Golden State\u2019s king tides<\/a> – especially high tides that occur due to the position of the Earth, moon and sun<\/a> – are expected to be worse than typical this year due to the moon\u2019s location in relation to Earth\u2019s equator. <\/p>\n Those happen around Thanksgiving and Christmas, Anthony Edwards, a meteorologist at The San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>, wrote on Monday.<\/p>\n And climate change has brought sea levels inching upward for decades, rising 8-9 inches worldwide since 1880, according to federal data<\/a>. <\/p>\n In the now-hurricane-riddled Pacific, sea levels have risen 4-6 inches since 1993, according to the United Nations<\/a>.<\/p>\n These effects have made for some records already in California. The Bay Area got its second-ever coastal flood advisory<\/a> this month and a previous Kelvin wave caused San Francisco\u2019s highest June and July tides<\/a> on record.<\/p>\n That\u2019s also part of what led Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency<\/a>, mobilizing state agencies to distribute sandbags and pumps.<\/p>\n And the triple-threat is what has experts so concerned, saying bigger impacts are coming.<\/p>\n
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A wave crashes into a seawall protecting beachfront homes on Monday in Long Beach, California. A massive wave of energy is expected to send Pacific sea levels rising along the coast (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-1237523077.jpeg\")
A jogger makes his way along a flooded Mill Valley bike path during a king tide event in January 2022. This year, the king tides are expected to be even worse than normal (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n