El Niño has officially begun, and it is forecast to intensify into a very strong or “Super” El Niño with major shifts in global weather patterns.

El Niño has officially arrived, the National Weather Service declared Thursday, and the latest edition is shaping up to be particularly potent.

For California, this setup traditionally triggers dramatically increased precipitation, alongside an elevated risk of flooding during high tides and the potential for harmful algae blooms along the We...