Thursday August 10, 2023
San Francisco Chronicle —
A marine heat wave that has spiked sea surface temperatures off the Oregon and Washington coast is moving into California waters. If it continues south, there is a chance it could raise temperatures along the chilly Bay Area coast within weeks, according to federal oceanographers.
The intense heat wave, which had lingered offshore since May, hit the Oregon and Washington coast recently, raising temperatures 7 to 9 degrees above normal, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday. Since then, it has moved into Northern California about as far south as Eureka in Humboldt County and is getting closer to Mendocino County.
Based on its current rate of expansion and forecasted wind patterns, it’s very possible more of California’s waters will warm in the next week or two, said Andrew Leising, a research oceanographer at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center.