El Niño engine revs up off the coast of Chile Play

The engine that could cause catastrophic flooding later this fall is revving up in the ocean off the coast of Chile. Surface waters in the Pacific along the equator are 5.8 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average. That's hot.

And underneath the water, some subsurface areas of the eastern Pacific are a stunning 18 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average.

The Kelvin wave — the wall of water being pushed up the North American continent by El Niño — is expected to arrive in full force along Malibu this weekend. That could mean high waves on top of high tides, with high tides 12 to 18 inches above normal predictions.