Council Orders Ferry Suspension Review Ahead of Forecast El Nino Season
With an 81 percent probability of a record-strength El Nino event by late 2026, the Council has initiated a formal review of emergency ferry-suspension thresholds and mutual-aid protocols across Bay Area terminals. The review is designed to prepare the region's entirely human-crewed ferry network for peak winter 2027 storm conditions.
The Bay Area has no freeway fallback for cross-bay transit, making the ferry network's resilience a direct public safety concern during severe weather. The Council's review will cover suspension thresholds for high-wind and storm-surge conditions, terminal staging capacity, and coordination between ferry operators and regional emergency services. Dock flooding scenarios are included in the assessment. The review is expected to produce formal contingency protocols before the end of the year.