El Niño is known for bringing soaking storms to California, especially the state’s southern half. A lesser-known side effect of the climate phenomenon? The Pacific Ocean’s famously frigid waters may be a little more welcoming.

El Niño tends to be associated with warmer-than-average ocean temperatures all along the West Coast, NOAA research scientist Dillon Amaya told KTLA’s parent company, Nexstar.

Just how warm are we talking? There’s a range of outcomes, Amaya explained. If you look at the two strongest El Niño events on record – the one from 1997-1998 and the one from 2015-2016 – the water at Scripps Beach in La Jolla got as warm as 74 or 76 degrees in late summer. That’s compared to around 68 degrees in an average year.

This year’s El Niño could be one for the record books, as well. The latest forecast showed an increased chance of a “super” (or very strong) El Niño.

“Much of the U.S. West Coast is currently experiencing a strong marine heatwave,” Amaya pointed out. “Add in El Niño and long-term warming from climate change, and we could be looking at record-breaking ocean temperatures this year.”

To get a better sense of what we might be in for, take a look at the chart below of sea surface temperatures from Scripps Beach.

The black line shows the average water temperature when you look at every year since 1950. The orange and purple lines show the water temperatures during our strongest El Niño events.

“These ‘Super El Niños’ kept ocean temperatures much warmer than average for almost the entire year,” Amaya said.

Now focus your attention on the columns of the chart shaded in red. Those are the winter months when an El Niño was present. While it’s more likely you’re brave enough to get in the water in the summer months, the effects of El Niño are more pronounced in winter and spring, Amaya said.

You can see the range of all El Niño water temperatures in that band of gray, from as low as 54 degrees to as high as 64 degrees in winter. But there’s a lot more gray above the black line than below it, Amaya pointed out, showing more often than not the water is warmer-than-average during an El Niño winter.

In addition to bringing the heat, El Niño tends to have other impacts on West Coast beaches, as well. It can create higher tides and stronger swells, pounding California’s beaches and contributing to erosion along the coast.

Not to mention the other problems associated with warming oceans. “The last time we had a very intense and sustained marine heatwave, we saw mass seabird die-offs, whale entanglements, kelp forest degradation, harmful algal blooms which poisoned shellfish (and surfers!), sea lion starvation and northward fish migration,” Amaya said. “These impacts could resurface if El Niño prolongs or even intensifies the ongoing marine heatwave.”

Warmer waters can also make storms more intense, and in rarer cases bring tropical cyclones to the California coast.

It’s too soon to tell how El Niño will play out this year. It’s favored to begin soon, at some point between now and July.

A grandmother was hospitalized with severe injuries after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in San Fernando.

On May 20, Sonia Mikaelian, 62, was walking on a crosswalk at 5th Street and North Maclay Avenue around 6:20 p.m. when a driver in a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck made a left turn and slammed into the woman on the busy street. 

The suspect continued speeding away, leaving the injured woman lying on the road. 

“As soon as they hit her, they bolted down the street without any regard,” the victim’s son, Vrej Mikaelian, told KTLA’s Sara Welch.

Sonia was hospitalized with broken bones and other serious injuries and has a long road to recovery. 

Vrej said he’s thankful that a group of bystanders immediately rushed over to help his mother. As the driver remains at large, loved ones are doing everything they can to find them. 

Vrej said he was frustrated over the lack of updates from law enforcement on the investigation. “There is absolutely no response from them whatsoever,” he said. “Where is the investigation? Where is the reach out to the victims?”

Family members are asking anyone who may have dashcam or surveillance footage of the incident to come forward and provide the evidence to San Fernando police. 

They also noted the suspect’s truck has a utility rack and there appeared to be a passenger inside the vehicle.

Ultimately, the woman’s family said they hope the driver will do the right thing and turn themselves in.

“We personally will forgive you for what you have done,” Vrej said. “There are no consequences from us. Just turn yourself in.”

Anyone with information on the case can call the San Fernando Police Department at 818-898-1267.

A Los Angeles man has been charged in connection with a string of catalytic converter thefts across Ventura County, prosecutors announced Friday.

Efran Esau Flores Alvarez, 20, is facing nine felony grand theft charges after investigators linked him to a series of thefts reported in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley between March 20 and April 23, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Authorities said Alvarez was arrested on May 19.

During the arrest, investigators allegedly found a hand saw, impact drills, saw blades and a floor jack inside his vehicle, along with more than $5,600 in cash.

Investigators believe Alvarez may be connected to additional catalytic converter thefts throughout Ventura County, and officials said the investigation remains ongoing, adding that more charges could be filed.

Catalytic converter thefts have remained a persistent issue across Southern California in recent years because the devices contain valuable precious metals, including platinum, palladium and rhodium.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and the Simi Valley Police Department investigated the case.

Prosecutors also filed a special allegation claiming the crimes showed “planning, sophistication, or professionalism,” according to court documents.

Alvarez pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Thursday in Ventura County Superior Court. He remains in custody with bail set at $75,000 and is scheduled to return to court June 2 for an early disposition conference.