The Los Angeles Mayor's Office and the California government have activated emergency protocols as an El Niño phenomenon arrives, which could break all historical records. With a very high probability of extreme intensity, authorities are already deploying critical measures to prevent floods and landslides in vulnerable areas.

Preparing for the Storm: Southern California on High Alert

Southern California is bracing for an extreme winter. The Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, has issued an urgent call to the population to prepare for an El Niño phenomenon that is shaping up to be one of the most intense in recent decades.

What is El Niño?

For those unfamiliar, El Niño is a climate pattern describing the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. In California, this typically translates to significantly higher-than-average rainfall, which can be a blessing for reservoirs but a danger for urban infrastructure.

To mitigate the impact of torrential rains, the city has already implemented a preventive infrastructure plan that includes:

Massive Cleaning: Intervention of more than 31,000 storm drains and drainage systems.
Soil Protection: Inspection and reinforcement of slopes affected by the January 2025 fires.
Electrical Prevention: Pruning of trees near high-voltage power lines to avoid outages.
Community Support: Distribution of sandbags at fire stations for residential protection.

Key Data and Projections

Indicator Key Detail
Record Probability (NOAA) 69% (highest intensity since 1950)
Strength Increase vs. Industrial Era 36%
Drainage Systems Serviced 31,000+

The gravity of the situation led the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, to formally declare a state of emergency. This measure allows the state to expedite resources to shield critical infrastructure and protect the communities most exposed to flooding and mudslides.

From the National Weather Service, chief meteorologist Ariel Cohen emphasized that prevention is the only effective tool in this scenario. Furthermore, data from the journal Science warn that global warming has accelerated the power of these events over the last 40 years, making them significantly more destructive.

Source: IMAGO