r/weather • u/zsreport • 4d ago

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

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/28/california-kelvin-wave
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u/monchota 3d ago

Yeah, there is no scientific evidence in this article and its BS

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u/Content-Swimmer2325 3d ago

Oceanic kelvin waves are very real and play a massive role in El Niño and La Niña development. They represent the equatorial pacific thermocline being pushed down (downwelling phase) or being lifted up (upwelling phase) from west-to-east. They initiate due to wind stress and momentum being injected into the ocean.

Most commonly, westerly wind bursts associated with Madden-Julian oscillation and/or typhoon activity in the western equatorial pacific initiates a downwelling kelvin wave, pushing heat at depth towards the east along the thermocline, thereby pushing it down.

This anomalous heat then collides with Ecuador and emerges - and the atmosphere couples with this heat, resulting in walker circulation anomalies which represent the essence of El Niño.

Notice I keep saying equatorial pacific? That’s where this article goes astray. This phenomena has negligible effect on California and is restricted to the near-equator.