MONTEREY (KRON) — There is growing evidence that the El Nino forming along the equator in the Pacific is getting stronger.
Some experts believe the mass of warm water could bring badly needed moisture to California this winter. But, there may already be some unusual and disturbing side effects reaching our shores.
Tuna crabs recently started washing ashore by the thousands along the beaches near Monterey, like Asilomar Beach.
The problem is that tuna crabs are rarely seen this far north, the water is usually too cold.
Normally, these little crabs live in warmer waters farther south near the Baja Peninsula, but the massive El Nino that is forming along the equator is pushing warm water up the coast. bringing the tuna crabs along for the ride.
This is just the latest in a string of strange animal behaviors this year along the coast. Sharks and whales have been seen in large numbers closer to shore than normal during the spring and summer.
The latest El Nino report from NOAA said that there is now a 95 percent chance that the warm water mass will stick around through the end of the year, possibly bringing wetter and warmer weather than normal to California. The report also said that sometime next spring, the El Nino will probably start weaken.
At this point, no one knows for sure how long the tuna crabs will be here.