REGION — Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency today in California ahead of what state officials say could be a historic El Niño season, directing agencies to stage equipment, protect infrastructure and prepare communities for severe winter weather.
The looming El Niño event is already breaking records, and forecasters expect it to continue to strengthen, potentially becoming the strongest in recorded history.
Officials warn El Niño could bring heavy rain, strong winds, mountain snow, and coastal flooding.
“California is strongest when we look out for one another,” Newsom said in a statement. “That is what this action is about. Giving communities the support they need, giving first responders the tools to do their jobs, and giving families the confidence that their state is ready. We are preparing for this El Niño early because every Californian deserves to be safe in their home, connected to their community, and protected when severe weather comes.”
El Niño is a natural climate pattern marked by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific, which can shift weather patterns and bring wetter, more intense, powerful winters to California. A study published in the journal Science last month found El Niño events are now more than 36% stronger than before the industrial era, with that trend accelerating over the last 40 years as the planet warms.
According to the governor’s office, the emergency proclamation mobilizes state resources and streamlines procurement to prepare for El Niño’s anticipated impacts, like strong storms and coastal flooding. The declaration orders state agencies to lead the state’s flood-risk-reduction efforts, stage flood-fighting supplies such as sandbags and pumps, and pre-position other critical equipment.
The California National Guard will also be called in to assist with emergency response, Newsom said.
“California is already taking steps now to protect communities from a potentially historic El Niño because we know how serious these weather extremes driven by climate change can be,” California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot said in a statement.
The proclamation also directs the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, along with state agencies, to expand multilingual public outreach efforts about preparedness for severe weather, flooding, emergency alerts, evacuation readiness, power outages and more.
Forecasters say this fall and winter could be dangerous, and possible impacts include repeated heavy rain, strong winds, mountain snow, flooding, landslides, debris flows, large waves, and coastal flooding.
Officials said Californians should prepare early. El Niño is strengthening, they say, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event this fall and winter and a 75% chance it could reach historic strength. The Pacific is unusually warm, and that warmth can shift storm tracks and load the atmosphere with more energy over the months ahead.
Weather forecasters said the huge waves fueled by Hurricane Marie, which hit Southern California this month, could indicate the powerful effects of El Niño. The weather pattern usually emerges every two to seven years, and lasts nine to 12 months, officials said.
A specific dollar amount tied to the preparedness effort was not yet available, Brian Ferguson of Cal OES said.
During a virtual media briefing Monday, Laura Hollander of the state Department of Water Resources said Southern California, in particular, could expect more storms during the El Niño season.
With powerful storms comes coastal erosion, she said, “especially as strong storms make landfall.”
However, conditions can change quickly. Of particular concern are large waves predicted in November and December, Hollander said.
“Storms are among the deadliest disasters we face here in California,” Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs said. “People underestimate the power of water.”
