Is El Niño making storms and flash floods in the Southwest worse?

PBS NewsHour · 2026-11-02 21:19 UTC

Experts say the natural warming cycle is sizzling Pacific Ocean waters and leaking moisture into the air that can fuel passing storms.

NEW YORK (AP) — A chaotic climate phenomenon is intensifying heavy rains and floods in the Southwest, experts say.

A natural warming cycle called El Niño is sizzling Pacific Ocean waters, leaking moisture into the air that can fuel passing storms. Such El Niño events can happen irregularly every couple of years, but scientists say the latest iteration is particularly extreme.

"We've had super El Niños in the past, but this is a super duper El Niño," said meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections.

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