October 17, 2025 — A massive heat wave is hitting the Pacific Ocean from Kamchatka to California.
Water temperatures several degrees above normal span thousands of miles, though they have mostly stopped short of the Pacific Northwest coast. Cool water welling up from the depths is thought to be keeping surface temperatures near the Oregon and Washington coasts closer to normal.
Beyond disrupting the ocean’s food web and fisheries, the underwater heat wave, known as “the Blob,” can alter weather on land thousands of miles away.
Since May, an ever-shifting mass of overheated water has occupied much of the northern half of the Pacific Ocean.
In early September, it covered 3 million square miles — about the size of the contiguous United States — according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s “Blobtracker” program.