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An extreme marine heat wave is simmering the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, and experts are warning that it could affect coastal weather and ecosystems for months.

The ocean heat wave started forming at the end of last year but has worsened in recent weeks, according to readings from the Scripps Pier in La Jolla, which has broken more than 25 daily temperature records this year. The surface water temperature on Wednesday was 68.5 degrees — 7.7 degrees above average for the date. The sea bottom was 67.6 degrees, the hottest April 15 in about 100 years of records.

California dam safety regulations are set for a significant update after the California Water Commission approved changes proposed by the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) Wednesday, April 15,2026.

Under DWR’s Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD), the state proposed additions and modifications to existing dam safety regulations. The Division of Safety of Dams updated Articles Two, Five, Six and Seven to clarify the application process for dam alterations, repairs and removals, as well as time extensions and how unlawfully constructed dams are addressed. The changes also require the State Water Project to cover DSOD labor costs, eliminate hard copies of technical memorandums, allow written hearings and simplify the lien process.

In parched southern Texas, a yearslong drought has depleted Corpus Christi’s water reserves so gravely that the city is scrambling to prevent a shortage that could force painful cutbacks for residents and hobble the refineries and petrochemical plants in a major energy port.

Experts said the city didn’t expect such a bad drought, and new sources of reliable water didn’t arrive as expected. Those problems arose as the city increased its water sales to big industrial customers.

As Corpus Christi continues a fierce fight against the impacts of record-breaking drought, what led to this point reflects the history of hundreds of years of water development, according to an academic expert.

While there are differences compared to some of the earlier political dynamics in the state — and while the stakes have grown greater — “when I first started seeing articles about the Corpus Christi situation, I was struck immediately by this sense that sometimes things never change,” said Kenna Archer, an associate professor of history at Angelo State University.

After two winters of La Niña, an official “El Niño Watch” is underway, the National Weather Service Climate Protection Center said Thursday.

In its latest ENSO Alert System Status report, the Climate Protection Center said there’s a 61% chance that an El Niño is “likely to emerge” between this May and June, and “persist through at least the end of 2026.”