Rising waters
The western US faces storms and floods from an approaching El Niño.
The sea level along California's coast may rise 30 centimetres, and then be pushed even higher by storm surges, says Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Extra water may sound good, because California has been hit by a severe drought. But the raised seas may combine with heavy El Niño rains to cause devastating floods, as happened to the San Francisco area in 1997-98.
El Niño also brings warmer weather, which melts ice. In 1997, extra river water in North Dakota and Minnesota may have contributed to the worst flood of the Red river since 1826. From New Scientist, 7th May 2014
Now I hear it will be next year.
One should also consider the effect geo-engineering plays in all of this.