First came the flood. Then the fire. In a matter of weeks, neighboring cities in Orange County were battered by dueling disasters that laid bare the risks posed to California as the world warms. In early September, powerful waves from the Pacific Ocean began to wallop the houses along Beach Road, a ribbon of multimillion-dollar waterfront properties hugging the coast in the picturesque hamlet of Dana Point. Several factors conspired to create the strongest swell that anyone in the area can recall. But a main culprit was El Niño, the natural climate pattern that typically happens a few times a decade and scrambles weather patterns worldwide. The current El Niño is dangerously strong. In California, it is elevating sea levels and creating more intense storms. A phenomenon known as a Kelvin wave — a huge, slow-moving pulse of warm water in the ocean that’s linked to El Niño — is raising sea levels as well.

Other El Niño news:

• Los Angeles Times: High surf and strong rip current in SoCal raise risk of flooding and hazardous swim conditions
• San Luis Obispo Tribune (Calif.): El Niño brings dangerous high tides, chance of flooding to SLO County ahead of rain
• KCRW (Santa Barbara, Calif.): As El Nino looms, LA becomes a better sponge
• USA Today: El Niño is just getting started. New effects expected soon