Last week, a massive marine heat wave sitting roughly 60 miles off California’s coast oozed eastward, providing warm water fuel for Hurricane Hilary and its historic trek north. It was a worrisome development for researchers who have monitored this warm mass for nearly a decade — and who are watching a developing El Niño in the equatorial Pacific. Ever since the “blob” appeared in the northeastern Pacific at the very end of 2013 — a massive marine heat wave that gripped the West Coast for nearly two years in heat and drought; disrupting marine ecosystems up and down the coast — a massive offshore heat wave has appeared nearly every year (with the exception of 2017 and 2018); expanding in the summer and shrinking in the winter.

Related articles: 

• San Francisco Chronicle: California nearly drought free in wake of Hilary’s historic rains
• East Bay Times: Big animals avoid impact of Hilary, wildlife in streams is more vulnerable
• The Hill: Multiyear El Niño and La Niña events could become more common
• Climate.gov – Blog: El Niño Means An Even Floodier Future Is On The Coastal Horizon
• Arizona Republic: Commentary: Lake Mead barely rose after Hilary’s rains. There’s a reason for that