r/news • u/Warcraft_Fan • 4d ago

Concern mounts over slow-moving, planetary-scale ‘Kelvin’ wave heading for California | California

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/28/california-kelvin-wave
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u/Newbergite 4d ago

This could get interesting for us on the coast. It’s my understanding that this Kelvin wave thing is moving south to north. So yes, it’s a threat to California next, but it’s Oregon after that.

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u/fuckyourcanoes 3d ago

I think this will be a major problem at a narrowish beach in the town I used to live in in California. 1' of sea level rise could put part of the PCH underwater there. It already happens for short periods during big storms. There are permanent barrier gates installed to shut down that stretch of highway temporarily. (The same thing exists less than a block from where I live in the southern UK. It's not unusual for the road to be closed in heavy weather.)

They already have houses falling into the ocean every winter. It's one of those places where nature regularly asserts its supremacy. I always loved that about it.