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California braces for a warm-water surge
A huge band of unusually warm water is moving toward California, and coastal communities are preparing for its arrival. Known as a Kelvin wave, it could temporarily push sea levels higher along parts of the coast.
That matters because many California communities already deal with rising seas, high tides, storms, and coastal erosion. Scientists expect the wave to approach Southern California before reaching the San Francisco Bay Area in early October.
The biggest concern is not the wave itself, but what could happen if higher water meets powerful winter storms and high tides.
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This is not a giant ocean wave
The name “Kelvin wave” can make it sound like a wall of water racing toward shore. That is not what is happening. Instead, this is a huge movement of warm water beneath the ocean surface that can raise coastal water levels for a period of time…