The Guardian, on Climate, 26 October 2026

6.0out of 10Serious

Southern California prepares for flooding amid forecast of ‘record-breaking tides’

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.1 finding

Southern California coastal communities are preparing for days of flooding amid potentially “record-breaking tides” this week. The National Weather Service warned that significant coastal flooding was expected in San Diego and Orange counties through Thursday that could close roads and inundate homes, businesses and critical infrastructure. To the north, a wide swath of the coast from San Luis Obispo county to Los Angeles county could see “minor to moderate” coastal flooding with tides as high as 8ft.

By Monday morning, the NWS office in Los Angeles reported that it was already seeing record tides. Preliminary observations from the agency’s San Pedro tide gauge were at 8.02ft, the highest seen in data dating back to November 1923. “Avoid the beaches during high tides, keep farther back from the ocean than usual (waves will run much farther up the beach that expected), stay off rock walls/jetties, and make sure flood-prone property is protected this week,” the NWS office in San Diego said in a statement.

More than a week before the exceptionally high tides were forecast to arrive, the Orange county city of Newport Beach declared a local emergency to prepare for flooding. Staff were deploying across the area to inspect infrastructure, reinforce beach berms and install sandbags and other equipment, the city said. Newport Beach is providing free sandbags and advised residents to inspect vulnerable areas around their properties. Due to El Niño and the Kelvin wave , ocean water levels in the region have already been about 15 to 22in higher than expected, the Newport Beach city manager, Seimone Jurjis, said in a statement .

“A foot and a half may not sound like much, but in a coastal community like ours, it can mean the difference between water staying below a seawall and water spilling into streets, garages and homes, especially during some of the highest tides of the year,” Jurjis said. The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel left a trail of destruction in California, significantly damaging homes, destroying a boardwalk and forcing residents to evacuate.

Explore more on these topics California US weather San Diego Extreme weather West Coast Flooding El Niño southern oscillation news Share Reuse this content

Read the original article on theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)
What we found (1)

The Guardian reports record tides and coastal flooding in Southern California, with sourced warnings from the National Weather Service and Newport Beach officials. It links this month's storm damage and the coming winter storms only to El Niño and a tropical storm, and never tells the reader that warming makes such extreme weather more frequent or more severe.

  1. Leaves out the climate link

    Serious

    “This month has already brought extreme weather in the region, including flooding that overtook city streets and large waves that struck beachside homes.”

    Why this matters
    The Guardian names "extreme weather" and flooding as a run of events this month, then moves straight on to the damage from Tropical Storm Rachel. It gives the reader no word that warming plays any part.
    The impression it gives
    A reader comes away thinking this month's flooding and storm damage are natural weather with no connection to a warming climate.
    The context
    Human-caused warming has made heavy rainfall and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe. The article reports a tropical storm's remnants causing destruction and never says this once.

    How we know

    • On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
    • Elsewhere in the article“The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel left a trail of destruction in California”
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “warming”.

    Show it in the article

    “With a historic El Niño unfolding in the Pacific, California is expected to face severe storms this winter.”

    Why this matters
    The closing line puts the coming severe storms down to El Niño alone. The article ends on that cause and never mentions warming.
    The impression it gives
    A reader takes it that El Niño is the whole explanation for the severe storms California faces this winter.
    The context
    El Niño is a real driver, but warming caused by burning fossil fuels is making heavy rainfall and intense storms more severe. The article never gives the reader that part of the picture.

    How we know

    • On the recordIt is unequivocal that human influence, chiefly the burning of fossil fuels, has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
    • On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    This month has already brought extreme weather in the region, including the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel. Climate change is making heavy rain and intense storms like these more frequent and more severe.

Spot something we missed? Report this article

More from The Guardian

  1. 27 OctBurnham in danger of sleepwalking into climate disaster, say campaigners0.0
  2. 27 OctMelting glaciers in Dolomites reveal cache of first world war munitions0.0
  3. 27 OctSuper-rich get ‘double dividend’ from causes and costs of climate crisis, report finds0.0
  4. 26 OctUK looking to give carmakers incentives to turn EVs into ‘power plants on wheels’0.0
  5. 26 OctUS forces accused of ‘weaponising’ Somalia’s floods by trapping women and children in the path of El Niño6.0

Everything we scored from The Guardian