California declares state of emergency ahead of historically strong El Niño
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide state of emergency on September 21, 2026, ahead of a potentially record-breaking El Niño season, as several counties already report flooding and coastal erosion.
Historic El Niño prompts California to declare state of emergency
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide state of emergency on September 21, 2026, ahead of what forecasters call a potentially record-breaking El Niño season. The move lets the state speed up resource mobilization and streamline procurement before winter storms intensify.
What is El Niño, and why the alarm
El Niño is a natural climate pattern marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific, which can shift storm tracks and bring wetter, more intense winters to California. U.S. federal forecasters put the chance of a very strong event this fall and winter at over 90%, while the Los Angeles Times, citing NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, reports a 98% chance of a "very strong" event through December and a 75% chance this El Niño will surpass any since 1950.
Emergency measures ordered
The proclamation directs state agencies to lead flood-risk-reduction efforts, stage sandbags and pumps, and pre-position other equipment. Caltrans will stage traffic-control and snow-removal equipment along the most at-risk highways, and the California National Guard is being readied for flood response and search-and-rescue missions. The state is also expanding multilingual public communications on evacuation readiness and emergency alerts. "California is strongest when we look out for one another," Newsom said in announcing the declaration.
Damage already reported
According to the Los Angeles Times, several California counties had already declared local emergencies before the statewide proclamation. Laguna Beach, Dana Point and Carlsbad cited coastal erosion caused by a south swell from Hurricane Marie. Homes from southern Orange County to Malibu have flooded, and erosion has stripped coastline from Carlsbad to Long Beach. Carlsbad is also working to protect Carlsbad Boulevard (Old Highway 101) from severe erosion.
Disagreement on climate change's role
California's emergency announcement cites a study published last month in the journal Science, which found El Niño events are now more than 36% stronger than in the pre-industrial era, a trend that has accelerated over the past 40 years. However, a BBC documentary on the so-called "Godzilla" El Niño states there is no clear evidence that climate change has affected El Niño events — indicating sources differ on the link between the two.
