Climate Talk

California's record tides: kayaking on roads should be a warning, not a meme

The images in the Guardian report are striking. Kayakers and paddleboarders gliding along busy roads in Marin county, drivers rescued from floating cars. Online, many people shared them as funny videos. I understand why, but I think it is the wrong reaction.

What worries me is the combination the GONOM post describes: record tides now, a potentially historic El Niño this winter that can bring stormier weather, and warnings that cuts at NOAA have weakened forecasting. Each one alone is manageable. Together they are a lot.

In Sweden we have some coastal flooding risk too, but nothing like this. How are Californians here feeling about the winter?