This year’s version of the phenomenon, known as El Niño, is extraordinary. “It’s very strong, and could even become, potentially, the strongest on record,” Swain said, regarding the Super El Niño. El Niño events, like their counterparts, La Niñas, are cyclical climate patterns. Dr. Merrifield noted that, due to “a sort of unlucky coincidence,” the Pacific’s multi-year tidal cycle is scheduled to peak around Christmastime, joining forces with the most serious impacts of El Niño. These combined phenomena are likely to generate large waves, extra-high sea levels and heavy rainfall, causing “considerable coastal flooding, intrusion of groundwater and coastal erosion.”