NASA Scientist to California: 'You'll Essentially Be Riding in Your Kayak' When El Niño Sets In

http://www.weather.com/science/environment/news/bill-patzert-el-nino

Bill Patzert has a message for Californians: get your kayaks ready.
It might seem bizarre to make a statement like that to a state that's seen such a dearth of precipitation in recent years, but with El Niño expected to peak in the coming months, anything is possible, the NASA scientist said. At a Tuesday gathering in Pasadena to discuss the possible effects of El Niño, Patzert told CBS Los Angeles that although the full wrath of this pattern has yet to be felt, it's likely to happen soon.
"Everybody is impatient here in Southern California, 'where’s the El Niño?'" he told CBS L.A. "Sit tight. In January and February, you’ll essentially be riding your kayak in front of your home."

If Patzert's worst-case prognostication comes to fruition, it wouldn't necessarily be the result of stronger storms, Patzert said. Rather, it's more likely, due to the El Niño pattern, that flooding would occur because of a relentless conveyor belt of rather normal storm systems hitting California, one after the next, he added.
Patzert earned the nickname "Prophet of California Climate" for his extensive studies on the Golden State and how it is impacted by climate change. In an August interview with the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Patzert said a strong El Niño would be very beneficial to the California drought, but it could come with a cost.
"Would be a huge down payment on the drought," he told the Tribune. "Of course you’d have to survive the mudslides and floods and the havoc."