Here It Comes

Here It Comes

This year there has been much talk about having an El Niño and how it will change droughts and enable a mass amount of rain to fall while in effect. There is a wide variety of news coverage and research going into this climate change that will happen. Flooding is expected to happen and cause major damage to San Diego.

San Diego has a large amount of people living in areas that can be flooded during El Niño rainstorms, Nearly 56,600 people will be affected. 1.75 percent of San Diego County residents live in the 100 year old flood zone which consists of 54,560 residents. Constant reports have been made saying that San Diego and Tijuana River Valley are the most vulnerable areas for flooding even before there was thought of having an El Niño this year. Many people do not know that we have been in an El Niño since may and it has been gradually getting stronger with each month. The more talk about El Niño just raises more questions for the San Diego area. In total, around 21,700 residents and around 4,800 businesses are in flood zones which is almost 5 percent of all businesses in the country. Even as weather is starting to change, this winter weather is still unknown. predictions and historical research show that there is going to be a large amount of rainfall and people in coastal areas are already getting prepared.

Research done by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration shows that El Niño had an 80% chance of lasting into early spring of 2016 and that it has a 90% chance of lasting through this upcoming winter. El Niño is periodic, warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. The frightening thing is that no two El Niños are exactly alike, both on intensity and impact. This warming of the Pacific will cause it to become wetter in southern U.S. and parts of the East Coast, Drier in Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes, cooler in the northern Gulf Coast, and warmer for the