CNN, on Climate, 27 October 2026

3.0out of 10Minor

Newsom to sign order protecting Pacific Coast Highway from El Niño’s powerful storms

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign an executive order Tuesday to protect the iconic Pacific Coast Highway from the impacts of El Niño-related storms as a potentially stormy winter approaches. This action comes on the heels of the Democratic governor’s state of emergency declaration issued on Sept. 21, which freed up resources to prepare for what is predicted to be the strongest El Niño event on record to affect California. El Niño is a naturally occurring climate cycle characterized by hotter than normal ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean and altered winds and precipitation patterns along the equator.

El Niño has ripple effects on weather patterns worldwide, contributing to a variety of extreme weather events. It can cause flooding in some regions and drought in others. While an intense El Niño does not necessarily mean related extreme weather events will be stronger, it does increase the odds that these extremes will occur. One of the hallmarks of El Nino is its potential to send powerful, moisture-laden storms into the Golden State that bring high winds, towering waves and heavy rainfall, all of which threaten the stability of coastal transportation corridors like Highway 1.

High waves have already caused erosion to eat away at the scenic highway. to the point where some coastal roads and rail lines are no longer safe to travel on. The order will create a Highway 1 task force, led by the state transportation and natural resources agencies, to prepare the roadway for coastal storms and tackle longer-term climate change risks. “Highway 1 is more than our nation’s most iconic roadway.

It keeps our coastal economy moving,” Newsom said in a statement. “It gets people to work, children to school, goods to local businesses, first responders where they’re needed, and visitors to our legendary beaches.” “We know what repeated closures cost these communities, and we’re putting state agencies to work now to reduce the danger before storms hit,” Newsom said. Newsom also will sign another executive order that builds upon the September emergency proclamation, to help communities prepare for storms before they arrive.

The order will give state agencies additional tools to reduce flood risks and protect critical infrastructure from the potential impacts of El Niño.

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What we found (1)

CNN reports Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive orders to protect Highway 1 and coastal communities from El Niño storms, and it explains El Niño carefully. It mentions longer-term climate change risks only in passing. It never says that warming has raised sea levels and heated the ocean, which other outlets reported the same week.

  1. Leaves out the climate link

    Minor

    “El Niño-driven high tides and pounding surf can significantly worsen such erosion”

    Why this matters
    The words "El Niño-driven high tides" put the tides and surf eating at Highway 1 down to El Niño alone. S5 has already called El Niño a "naturally occurring climate cycle".
    The impression it gives
    A reader comes away thinking the coastal flooding and erosion threat is a natural swing, and that warming adds nothing to it.
    The context
    Coverage of the same week says sea levels off California have risen about a foot over 125 years. A climate scientist said the high water came from El Niño "plus the background warming of the ocean". Warming makes heavy rainfall and extremes like these more frequent or more severe. The article's only nod to this is a passing mention of "longer-term climate change risks" in S12, with no word that warming is raising the sea or loading these storms.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

What it gets right

  • “While an intense El Niño does not necessarily mean related extreme weather events will be stronger, it does increase the odds that these extremes will occur.”

    CNN states the link between El Niño and extremes as a matter of odds, without overstating it.

  • “tackle longer-term climate change risks”

    CNN does tell the reader that the task force is also meant to deal with climate change, not only this winter's storms.

How other outlets reported it

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