San Diego County opens El Niño hub as NOAA forecasts a possibly record event
Sept. 25, 2026 — San Diego County has opened an El Niño information hub on Alert San Diego, pointing residents to emergency alerts, sandbag locations, neighborhood hazard maps and National Weather Service data. The forecast behind it is unusual. In its Sept. 10 discussion, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center gave a greater than 90% chance of a very strong El Niño this fall and winter, and a 75% chance that October through December will exceed every El Niño on record since 1950. Sea surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific ran more than 3 degrees Celsius above average. NOAA cautions that an event this strong makes El Niño's usual impacts more likely, but not certain. Its next update is due Oct. 8.
The wall: Local impacts are forecast, not observed; the County's preparation costs were not stated.
Tier: Confirmed (NOAA read in full)
Sources
- NOAA Climate Prediction Center, ENSO Diagnostic Discussion, Sept. 10, 2026
- San Diego County News Center
- Alert San Diego El Niño page
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