With NOAA forecasting a very strong El Niño, now is the time for California agencies to assess existing infrastructure and project vulnerabilities, strengthen contingency plans, and identify opportunities to keep work moving through potential weather-related disruptions.
At a Glance
- Prepare now: Identify projects and infrastructure most vulnerable to flooding, drainage issues, erosion, slope instability, and wet-weather delays.
- Be ready to respond: Confirm stormwater, inspection, monitoring, and emergency-response resources before they are needed.
- Keep work moving: Identify design, permitting, planning, and other work that can advance if rain limits construction or field activities.
El Niño is strengthening in the tropical Pacific. According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, there is a greater than 90% chance of a very strong El Niño during fall and winter 2026-27. While the strength of the event does not guarantee specific impacts, NOAA notes that stronger events increase the chances of conditions typically associated with El Niño.
For public agencies, utilities, developers, contractors, school districts, and infrastructure owners in California, the outlook provides an opportunity to prepare before wet weather affects projects and operations.
Identify Project Vulnerabilities
Wet weather can affect site access, drainage, erosion and sediment controls, dewatering, material deliveries, traffic control, construction sequencing, and contractor productivity. Those challenges can also put pressure on schedules and costs.
Before significant wet weather arrives, project teams should consider which active projects or existing infrastructure are most vulnerable, whether contingency schedules are in place, and whether critical activities can be completed or accelerated before wetter conditions arrive. Known flooding, drainage, or slope stability concerns may also warrant additional evaluation.
How Kleinfelder Can Help: Kleinfelder can help evaluate drainage and flood risks, slope and retaining-wall conditions, landslide and debris-flow concerns, construction schedules, and other infrastructure vulnerabilities — as well as advance new project designs — before inclement weather conditions arrive.
Prepare for Wet-Weather Demands
Organizations with active construction sites or regulated facilities should review their stormwater and environmental programs. Preparations may include confirming inspection and sampling resources, evaluating erosion and sediment controls, reviewing best management practices, and making sure regulatory documentation processes are ready for increased wet-weather activity.
Infrastructure owners may also want to evaluate drainage systems, slopes, retaining walls, and flood-prone areas and establish response protocols before significant rainfall occurs. Having technical and emergency-response resources identified in advance can help teams respond more quickly if conditions change.
Preparations may also include evaluating vegetation conditions around stormwater infrastructure, drainage channels, slopes, and rights-of-way to reduce the potential for blocked drainage paths, erosion, or storm-related damage during periods of heavy rainfall.
How Kleinfelder Can Help: Kleinfelder can support clients with stormwater compliance, wet-weather inspections and sampling, BMP evaluations, drainage and slope assessments, vegetation-management planning, erosion-control planning, and emergency-response support.
Be Ready for Emergency Response
Even with advance planning, significant rainfall can create unexpected conditions, including landslides, debris flows, slope failures, flooding, erosion, and site-access issues. Having response protocols, decision-makers, and technical resources identified in advance can help organizations assess conditions and act quickly when an emergency occurs.
How Kleinfelder Can Help: Kleinfelder can provide emergency reconnaissance and technical evaluations following landslides, debris flows, slope failures, flooding, and other storm-related events, helping clients assess conditions, identify immediate concerns, and determine appropriate next steps.
Keep Projects Moving During Weather Delays
A wetter winter may slow construction and other field activities, but it does not have to bring an entire program or project to a halt.
Organizations can identify work that can continue regardless of field conditions, including design, permitting, utility coordination, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, GIS, planning, asset assessments, and project documentation. Advancing this work during weather-related construction delays can help position projects to move forward when conditions improve.
How Kleinfelder Can Help: Kleinfelder can help clients identify and advance new and existing project design, planning, permitting, asset-management, and other project activities that can continue when fieldwork is constrained.
Start Planning Before the Rain
With a very strong El Niño forecast for this winter, now is a good time to review where projects and programs may be most vulnerable and what steps can be taken before winter conditions arrive.
Early planning can help organizations reduce potential disruptions, confirm that contingency resources are in place, and identify work that can continue if weather affects construction or other field activities.
Get in Touch
If your organization is evaluating weather preparedness, connect with Kleinfelder to discuss potential vulnerabilities, contingency needs, emergency-response readiness, and opportunities to keep projects moving through wet-weather disruptions. Contact info@kleinfelder.com to get started.