February 1, 2016 - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - Over 150,000 US households were left without electricity as gusts of an
El Nino-driven storm downed trees and power poles is Southern
California.
Gusts of wind up to 115mph were recorded, with locals taking
to social media to share the aftermath.
The storm, accompanied by heavy rain, hit the west coast, causing massive outages and flooding on Sunday night.
In addition to fierce gusts of wind, California is facing heavy
downpours, low-elevation snow and thunderstorms, with counties Los
Angeles and San Diego hit hardest.
A fallen tree measuring 8 feet in diameter killed a driver in the Pacific Beach area and crushed three empty parked cars.
The storm is expected to reach Michigan and Iowa on Monday night or
Tuesday, bringing blizzards to these states by Groundhog Day, local
meteorologists report. - RT.
January 29, 2016 - HAWAII - The surf was well and truly up for Tom Dosland yesterday when he
took this tremendous topple from the top of Maui’s famous Pe’ahi (Jaws)
wave.
Hawaii is seeing record swells thanks to El Nino, and Dosland was lucky enough to escape unscathed from the fall.
WATCH: Record swells and wipeouts in Hawaii.
Hawaii
has seen huge swells already in January, but yesterday saw the largest
yet as 40ft sets lined up at the famous surfing spot in Maui - even the
occasional 50 footer found its way through.
Dosland was among
dozens of surfers who took to the waters to brave the swell so large
that pro surfer Jamie O’Brien admitted to being incredibly scared in the
water.
A video posted by Maui Rippers (@mauirippers_official) on
El Nino has been causing extreme weather patterns
recently, with the Pacific suffering huge storms. The Californian city
of Pacifica has declared a local emergency due to severe cliff erosion
caused by El Nino.
For now, at least, El Nino is very much
welcomed by the surfers who have flocked to Hawaii’s shores, as the
islands see some of their largest waves since 2001. - RT.
January 27, 2016 - PACIFIC OCEAN - The extreme weather patterns observed during El Nino show no sign of
abating, with large tidal waves and unusual rainfall continuing to hit
Pacific coastal regions.
The Californian city of Pacifica has declared a local emergency due to cliff erosion caused by El Nino.
Ocean currents are currently battering the city's shoreline - and
putting hundreds of residential properties at risk of collapsing into
the sea.
Astonishing video captured from a drone reveals the terrifying extent of erosion.
The footage shows heaps of soil crumbling from the cliffside,
undercutting apartments which hang precariously above on Esplanade and
Palmetto Avenue.
WATCH: Pacifica Coastal Erosion Caught On Drone Video.
The owners of the properties have been told their homes are not safe to inhabit.
"El Nino is hitting the city's coastline very hard and creating almost
daily reports of impacts to both public and private property," said
Pacifica City Manager Lorie Tinfow.
"We need State and Federal assistance to respond to the growing list of
failing public infrastructure including the Beach Blvd sea wall
failure."
Meanwhile, strange weather conditions have been reported elsewhere in
California, from 300 inches of snowfall to parched lakes rising
dramatically.
Here comes the next one.
This will put snowfall at crest of Sierra Nevada over 300 inches in some spots
Twitter: Tom Stienstra
A spokesperson for the California Department of Water Resources, which
has been managing drought conditions in the western state, told the San Francisco Gate how water levels in Lake Oroville increased by 20ft in less than a week.
"We haven't seen the water level rise like this since we've had the drought over the past approximately four years," he said.
"Weakening" force?
Earlier this month, the US Climate Prediction Centre
predicted the current strong El Nino - where unusually warm weather
brings on powerful storms and floods - to "gradually weaken through
2016".
"Most models indicate that a strong El Nino will weaken with a transition during the late spring or early summer."
"The forecasters are in agreement with the model consensus, though the
exact timing of the transition is difficult to predict," an El Nino
advisory status reads.
NASA analysis
of its Jason-2 satellite and research by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration details higher than average sea levels, while
last month temperatures in the Pacific equaled 1997 records.
The space agency indicate the tropical weather cycle could enter a period of cooling but give no guarantees.
But tell that to the inhabitants of the west coast of the United States
and South America. Massive tidal waves, some reported to be 16 ft in
height, have been seen smashing into the coast of Chile.
Footage filmed in the seaside city of Vina del Mar shows an emergency
vehicle being swept onto its side by huge breakers coming in from the
South Pacific Ocean.
WATCH: Giant El Nino waves total safety car in Chile.
As the car flips, passersby can be heard screaming and running for
cover.
The occupants of the vehicle reportedly escaped uninjured.
The tropical thunderstorms come despite suggestions by experts that the
meteorological anomaly's destructive power will lessen in 2016. - RT.
Residents of Pacifica, California who have been forced to evacuate their homes after heavy rains caused a coastal cliff collapse.
January 26, 2016 - CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - Massive waves have been relentless in Pacifica.
Sky 7 HD was over the coastal town Saturday and it showed where recent storms damaged a sea wall and threatened homes.
A high surf advisory is in effect in Pacifica until 10 p.m. El
Nino-enhanced storms have pounded the city's coastline, forcing a local
state of emergency.
Since Dec. 15, storms have damaged the Pacifica Pier, the Milagra
watershed and caused a massive sinkhole. Big boulders have been put in
that hole as a temporary fix.
Apartments on the eroding cliffs of Esplanade Avenue are also
threatened. They were condemned several years ago. New properties near
those apartments could be next.
STORMWATCH: This morning's high tides continue to pound the coastal city
of Pacifica, which declared a state of emergency on Friday.
The city
says the heavy rains and high surf is creating daily reports of damage. http://abc7ne.ws/1lFJfst
Twitter: ABC7 News
The residences are located near San Francisco in Pacifica, California,
which declared a local state of emergency last week after being hit by El Nino storms.
Maintenance work underway in the East Bay on Friday, January 22, 2016.
Crews work to remove a fallen tree on 24th St. and Harrison in San Francisco's Mission District on Friday, January 22, 2016.
Crews in Half Moon Bay, Calif., work to keep a section of Mirada Road from falling into the ocean on Friday, January 22, 2016.
King Tides flooded Shoreline Highway in Mill Valley, Calif. on Friday, January 22, 2016.
A Bay Area storm brought down a tree in Foster City, Calif. on Friday, January 22, 2016.
Rough surf took out the railing along Beach Street in Pacifica, Calif. on Friday, January 22, 2016.
Rainbow over Holly Street in San Carlos, Calif., on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.
A tree crashed down on an SUV in Danville, Calif., on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.
Crews work to clear trees knocked down by a powerful storm in Belmont, Calif., on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.
A car skid off the road on I-380 in Millbrea, Calif., on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.
Crews try to remove fallen trees in Belmont, Calif., after a heavy storm on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.
A
storm is believed to be responsible for bringing down this huge tree
that fell on three cars in San Francisco on Wednesday, January 6, 2016.
A
storm is believed to be responsible for bringing down this huge tree
that fell on three cars in San Francisco on Wednesday, January 6, 2016.
A
storm is believed to be responsible for bringing down this huge tree
that fell on three cars in San Francisco on Wednesday, January 6, 2016.
A storm turned this street into a river in Sebastopol, Calif. on Wednesday, January 6, 2016.
A tree fell across a freeway in Santa Cruz, Calif. on Wednesday, January 6, 2016.
This photo shows a double rainbow Tuesday, January 5, 2016.
"It's a series of issues, none of which is truly catastrophic, but when
you take them together, they are clearly outpacing what the city can do
to respond, which is why I declared a state of emergency.
We still have a
month or so of weather, and we can't predict what can happen looking
ahead," said Pacifica city manager Lorie Tinfow.
WATCH: Cliff collapse forces evacuation.
The emergency declaration is a step toward getting state and federal assistance to help rebuild what's been damaged.
ABC7 News began covering the problems on Esplanade Avenue several years
ago when a number of homes were declared uninhabitable after heavy
erosion left it teetering on the edge of the cliff.
The city council will give a full damage assessment at their next meeting on Monday. - ABC13.
