"Currently Pacifica Pier is one of the featured photographs on the NOAA website," (Jim Wagner). And although the photograph remains on there, NOAA offers an excellent explanation of periodic El Niño. and La Niña weather events.
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United Department of Commerce.
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Another factor to consider is coastal storms and waves, which can cause an increase in water level on top of the already higher-than-normal tides. If a winter storm coincides with a King Tide event in this El Niño year, the total water levels may be extreme, and impacts may be even greater.
Climate scientists predict that El Niño will peak sometime in January-February of 2016, meaning that Californians can expect these especially high tide events to last through the winter." Read more.
Related NOAA videos and more, from the article El Niño Portal linked above: El Niño and La Niña are predictable up to 9 months, 12/24/15, 2:40 minutes, and more. The NOAA prediction miscalculation of El Niño one year prior, 2014. Explaining the 2014 El Niño (thought to be similar to the 1997 "monster"), 3:28 minutes.
Related Pacifica, Coastside, Bay Area. ABC7 news/Matt Keller, 1/7/16, includes 3 videos which include Pacifica Pier area. "Dangerous high surf pounds Bay Area beaches." "PACIFICA, Calif. (KGO) --The pounding rain may be gone, but the Bay Area is still seeing the effects of El Nino. A High Surf Warning will be in effect until 2 p.m. Thursday. Waves 15 to 20 feet high crashed over Pacifica Pier. The pier was closed and Beach Boulevard was blocked off to traffic, except for residents. The high surf makes for very dangerous swimming conditions and deadly rip currents. A Coastal Flood Advisory was in effect. At high tide, low lying roads, trails, park and ride lots, tidal flats and coastal underpasses all risked flooding. The best advice if you're out at the beach is to never turn your back on the ocean." Reference, City of Pacifica/Pacifica Pier, Pacifica Pier, Facebook.
Note Pacifica Pier and Beach Blvd. photographs. Girl viewing waves by Marco Jose Sanchez/Associated press, from The Guardian, UK, 12/13/15. Wave under Pacifica Pier by Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press from San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate/Tom Stienstra, 12/20/15. (Daily Mail, UK, 1/7/16, "Dive, Dive" article includes a similar photograph.) Wave hitting Beach Blvd 1/2011 from California Beach Blog, 10/8/13.
Submitted by Jim Wagner
Posted by Kathy Meeh
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