{"id":1637,"date":"2026-09-28T16:36:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/bbc-sciencefocus\/?p=1637"},"modified":"2026-09-28T16:36:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:36:30","slug":"danger-zone-these-5-us-states-are-about-to-be-hit-hardest-by-el-nino-experts-warn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/bbc-sciencefocus\/2026\/09\/28\/danger-zone-these-5-us-states-are-about-to-be-hit-hardest-by-el-nino-experts-warn\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Danger zone\u2019: These 5 US states are about to be hit hardest by El Ni\u00f1o, experts warn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Climate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Danger zone\u2019: These 5 US states are about to be hit hardest by El Ni\u00f1o, experts warn<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Some states face too much water, others too little. Here’s what the coming months could bring<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Roland Hughes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The world is entering a \u201cdanger zone of extreme weather\u201d as the El Ni\u00f1o weather phenomenon starts to be felt, UN chief Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said in early September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His warnings have been echoed by governments, charities and scientists around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El Ni\u00f1o always plays havoc with global weather by changing wind patterns and releasing extreme heat and warm water. But in a world that\u2019s warmer than ever, with increasingly unpredictable weather events, it\u2019s little wonder this El Ni\u00f1o is being seen as \u201csupersized\u201d, in Guterres\u2019s words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From wildfires in Indonesia to heavy rains in Peru, the world is already experiencing the effects. And within the US, different states will be hit in very different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Waves crashing on breakwater rocks at Cabrillo Beach in California. Photo credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The third-largest state is perhaps the one most at risk of the effects of El Ni\u00f1o \u2013 and the danger comes in two forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first is from the sky. California receives only a few months of rain a year, in winter. A small shift in the path of storms barrelling in from the Pacific, as can happen during El Ni\u00f1o, can move those rains away and lead to drought, or act as a firehose pointing directly at the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some previous El Ni\u00f1o events have brought significant rains to California, and south and central parts have received close to double their annual rainfall during these times, says Dr Daniel Swain, a Colorado-based climate scientist who writes the Weather West blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is entirely possible that parts of California see close to, or even in excess of, double their average seasonal precipitation as a result of this event,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second danger comes from the sea. More powerful storms fuelled by warmer seas and a stronger El Ni\u00f1o could coincide with larger waves and so-called king tides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At some point, we can expect significant coastal flooding and erosion, Swain says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just these mansions overlooking the ocean on the cliffs that are at risk from the large, battering waves,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s also the transportation corridors in these regions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He names places like San Francisco Bay, San Diego Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region as large coastal populations in potential danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are millions of people living within several feet of sea level, in both northern and southern California, away from the immediate coast, who are actually at risk of saltwater flooding from ocean rise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read More:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n