Great Highway

Forecasters report El Niño is strengthening and could persist into spring, with one study calling it extreme. A Federal Reserve analysis warns it could raise US inflation and boost jobs in 2027, while San Francisco prepares for possible Ocean Beach flooding along the Great Highway this winter. Officials and scientists are urging coastal communities to prepare for heavier storms and unusual weather impacts.

Forecasters expect this winter's king tides in San Francisco to reach record levels, with seawater potentially pushing all the way up to the Great Highway along Ocean Beach. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the extreme high tides, amplified by El Niño conditions, could cause coastal flooding and strain the city's shoreline infrastructure along the Pacific coast.

San Francisco's years-long dispute over the Great Highway appears to have been settled, according to local reporting. The stretch of coastal road has been a persistent point of contention between drivers, residents and advocates of car-free public space, particularly since its conversion to pedestrian and bicycle use. Observers note the conflict may finally be fading, though the word 'probably' suggests some remain wary of a lasting resolution.

San Francisco's Great Highway along Ocean Beach could face flooding this winter as an El Niño pattern brings stronger storms and higher surf to the California coast. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the low-lying roadway has long been vulnerable to erosion and wave overtopping, and city officials are watching conditions closely as the storm season approaches.