San Diego County launches online hub to inform residents of El Niño-related storms

San Diego County officials have launched an online informational resource to provide county residents with up-to-date information and tools to prepare for what’s expected to be one of the strongest El Niño seasons in history, it was announced Friday.

The El Niño 2026 Informational Hub includes information on current weather conditions and resources to sign up for emergency alerts or obtain sandbags and other essential items.

The website can be found here.

County officials are advising residents to begin preparing now for the storms expected this fall and winter.

Officials warn El Niño could bring heavy rain, strong winds, mountain snow and coastal flooding.

The looming El Niño event is already breaking records, and forecasters expect it to continue to strengthen, potentially becoming the strongest in recorded history.

County departments have begin clearing storm drains, reinforcing infrastructure and bolstering emergency response staffing in preparation, according to a county statement.

In the city of San Diego, crews began installing sand berms earlier this month on city beaches and the Mission Bay shoreline to prepare for heavy swells and protect against flooding.

The expected historic storm season also led Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency earlier this month and call in the California National Guard to assist with emergency response.

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.