‼️ 100-YEAR SEA LEVEL RECORD BROKEN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA! It’s the perfect storm, without an actual storm! Let’s explain… 🌊 Ocean levels near Long Beach reached 8.02 feet, the highest recorded at the nearby Los Angeles Harbor tide gauge since records began in 1923! Even more remarkable: Sea levels are running almost 2 feet above predicted astronomical tides! So why is the ocean so high? 1. FULL MOON: High astronomical tides are helping push ocean levels toward their monthly peaks. 2. RECORD OCEAN HEAT: An extraordinary marine heatwave is warming and “expanding” ocean water, raising sea levels. 3. EL NIÑO KELVIN WAVE: A recent ocean wave has helped elevate sea levels along the California coast. 4. LONG-TERM SEA-LEVEL RISE: Decades of warming and melting land ice have raised the baseline by ~foot, making flooding more likely. 5. LUNAR CYCLES: Longer-term changes in the Moon’s orbit are amplifying this season’s highest astronomical tides. BOTTOM LINE: Southern California is experiencing historic coastal flooding without a major storm! And even higher astronomical tides are expected later this fall/ winter. #elnino - @weatherprofessor