Many people are familiar with El Niño’s warming surface temperatures across the Pacific Ocean. Less known is a separate but related oceanographic feature quickly positioning itself as one of, if not the, major disruptive weather events of the season. Dubbed a Kelvin wave, researchers warn this large surge of warm ocean water could lead to intense meteorological destruction during a winter storm season already heightened by a particularly active El Niño.

‘Not like crashing waves at the beach’
Unlike “typical” waves visible across the “surface of the water,” Kelvin waves occur when “bursts of westerly winds push warm water eastward,” said LiveNow from Fox. The eastern push then generates Kelvin waves that “travel beneath the water’s surface along the equator.”

Kelvin waves manifest when ocean trade winds that “usually” move from South America toward Asia “die down or reverse" in El Niño years, said The Guardian, setting off a “massive slow-moving slosh of water.” But Kelvin waves are “not like crashing waves at the beach.”

These waves are “planetary in scale, spanning thousands of miles,” and carry an “untold amount of warm water that slowly moves from the western Pacific, along the equator, toward South, Central and North America,” said The Guardian. Unlike normal shoreline waves, Kelvin waves are a “propagating disturbance” that moves energy through the ocean, “shifting heat, pressure and sea level” along the way, said the Desert Sun.

Lasting impact
This year’s wave has “added nearly a foot to tides in Southern California,” said The Atlantic. It has also created conditions that “tend to drum up storm activity in the Pacific.”

Potential Kelvin wave damage “depends on the force of the swells and how high tides are,” said The Orange County Register. If the wave is “indeed arriving now” at California’s shoreline, it will dovetail with “6-foot tides” and hurricane conditions “already churning up the ocean’s force.” Though the exact timing of the wave’s impact on coastal California remains uncertain, said The Guardian, researchers predict the wave’s effects will “linger through the winter and into early next year.”

Argentina is subjecting the Falkland Islands to “economic warfare,” said Andrea Clausen, the chief executive of the British overseas territory. As Argentina ramps up its claim of sovereignty over the remote South Atlantic archipelago, restrictions are making life more difficult for Falkland residents, she said to the Financial Times. And at the center of the power struggle with Britain is the territory’s first oil project called Sea Lion, a joint U.K.-Israeli venture.

What’s life like on the islands?
The Falklands are home to about 3,500 people, most of whom live in the capital, Stanley. The remainder are spread across the sprawling archipelago, which is roughly half the size of Wales. People are “always amazed by the scale when they visit,” said one resident to Metro. Leaving the islands “isn’t simple or cheap,” said the outlet. There are two 18-hour direct flights a week to the U.K. on a military plane and one commercial flight a week to Chile.

Because of the limited connections, imported goods can cost more than double their price in the U.K. With only one shipping link to Uruguay, there are sometimes shortages of cheese and other food staples. Most international suppliers “refuse to serve Falklands’ businesses” out of fear of angering Argentina, said the Financial Times. Officials are planning a second shipping link to Chile, scheduled to open between November and December. But some islanders worry Buenos Aires “could try to disrupt those efforts.”

But in an economic boost, Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum are launching a joint project to extract from an oilfield 136 miles north of the islands. This could “triple GDP” and reduce dependence on the inconsistent fishing industry, said the Financial Times.

What’s Argentina doing?
Argentinian President Javier Milei (pictured above) this month announced restrictions on companies involved in oil extraction, along with additional military funding. His new sanctions regime “appears to target both oil and fishing,” said the Financial Times. On Monday, Milei warned that his government would request an emergency order to stop development of the Sea Lion oilfield if drilling is not halted within two weeks.

“Time will tell” if Milei follows through on his threats, said Traighana Smith, a Falklands resident, at The Independent. But in the meantime, the Falklands will “continue to grow its industries and care for its people.”

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso of Spain drives during the free practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit. The F1 race on Sunday takes place in Malaysia instead of Bahrain because of the “current conflict in the Middle East,” said The Athletic.
Fazry Ismail / EPA / Shutterstock

Autumn is when some of the country’s flashiest food publications name the year’s best new chefs and restaurants. Get in on the remarkable cooking happening at these standout spots.

Broken Spanish Comedor, Los Angeles
Ray Garcia, the chef of the cherished, shuttered Broken Spanish, is back with Broken Spanish Comedor. This “iteration feels more self-assured,” said Bon Appétit when it named the spot one of the Best New Restaurants for 2026. Garcia’s cooking is “punchy, bold and assertively spicy.”

Honeysuckle, Philadelphia
Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, the chef-owners of Honeysuckle, are “professional storytellers,” said Bon Appétit. Their background in visual arts and children’s books, respectively, is put to delicious use as the pair trumpets foods of the African diaspora in a “stylish living room” that feels like you are in the “midst of a great party.” 

John’s Food and Wine, Chicago
The wide-ranging menu, swerving from grilled cabbage salad with kimchi and candied sunflower seeds to branzino with cucumber and dill, is faultless. John’s also “prioritizes paying every staff member a competitive wage and incentivizing them to stay,” said Food & Wine magazine when it awarded the spot Restaurant of the Year last month.

The Paper Bridge, Portland, Oregon
You know your pho, so you may think you know the scope of Vietnamese food. The way pho is most often served in the U.S. is southern Viet-style, but that’s only one way to do it. This restaurant, an homage to the cuisine of the country’s north, would like to take you on a palate-expanding journey.