The Super El Niño is already soaking the U.S. Expect more flooding to come

Scientific American · Stephanie Pappas · 2026-11-04 19:00 UTC

This week Florida and the Four Corners region have been hammered by major rain events, swamping roads and washing away homes

A house floating down the San Juan River in Colorado, crumbling as it crashes into a bridge. A man evacuated from a palm tree surrounded by floodwaters in Brevard County, Florida. These are scenes from the “Super El Niño”–fueled rain events that are now soaking parts of the U.S.

This week the Southwest’s Four Corners region and Florida’s central coast have experienced major flood events, swamping homes and washing out roads. It was impossible to reach meteorologists in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, by phone on Tuesday because a major fiber cable in town had been cut by flooding, bringing down cell service.

Arleen Prochazka, a retired Air Force meteorologist who co-runs the nonprofit Pagosa Weather, managed to speak with Scientific American by email Wednesday.

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