California is preparing for a winter that many residents might normally welcome.
After years of worrying about drought and water shortages, the state is getting ready for a potentially very strong El Niño that could bring wetter conditions and powerful storms. But state officials are preparing for more than rain, with flooding, landslides, debris flows, coastal erosion and damaging waves all on the list of possible hazards.
That is why Governor Gavin Newsom has moved before the winter storms arrive.
California has already proclaimed a state of emergency to accelerate preparations, while state agencies are positioning emergency supplies, inspecting flood infrastructure and working with communities that could be exposed to heavy rainfall.
The question now is not simply whether California will get rain. It is what happens when that rain reaches a state already shaped by drought, wildfire and a changing climate.
California is preparing before the first major storm
The preparations are already visible.
The California Department of Water Resources has stockpiled flood-fighting materials at 68 locations across the state, including 4.4 million sandbags, more than 52,000 feet of portable flood barriers and 400,000 tons of rock for emergency levee repairs.
Crews are also inspecting the state's flood-control infrastructure ahead of winter.
That includes approximately 1,600 miles of levees within the State Plan of Flood Control, as well as weirs, bypasses and other structures designed to move or contain floodwater.
These preparations are happening because California's water managers face a difficult balancing act.
They need to protect communities from too much water while capturing as much of that water as possible for the dry periods that are likely to follow.
California is trying to make the rain useful
There is another side to the state's preparations that receives less attention.
Officials are not preparing simply to defend California from winter water. They are also looking for ways to capture it and store it for the future.
The state's water managers are preparing groundwater recharge projects that can divert stormwater into underground basins. The approach can reduce flood risk while creating additional water supplies for periods when dry conditions return.
That matters because California's water story has never been as simple as being either wet or dry.
The state can experience a damaging flood one year and severe drought conditions not long afterward.
The challenge is becoming one of managing both extremes.
The preparations are moving beyond sandbags
California is also investing in how it responds once a disaster begins.
On October 8, Newsom announced new swiftwater rescue vehicles, boats and specialized equipment for 13 local fire departments. The teams can respond to flooding in their own communities and deploy elsewhere in the state when additional resources are needed.
The state has also modernized its emergency operations center and expanded access to satellite imagery designed to provide near-real-time information about flooding and other disasters.
The technology is intended to help emergency officials see what is happening from above and move resources more quickly when conditions change.
For someone watching a storm approach from home, those investments may sound distant.
But during a rapidly developing flood, knowing which roads are underwater or which communities have been cut off can make the difference between reacting late and getting help where it is needed.
Then there is California's wildfire problem
The coming winter is arriving after another season of dangerous fire weather.
That matters because the relationship between wildfire and rainfall does not end when the flames are extinguished.
A burned landscape can remain vulnerable after a fire, particularly when vegetation has been removed and intense rainfall reaches exposed slopes. State officials are therefore urging residents near wildfire-affected areas to understand their flood and debris-flow risks before major storms arrive.
The timing can be difficult.
California has recently experienced dangerous Santa Ana winds and elevated wildfire conditions, even as the state prepares for the wetter winter pattern that El Niño could bring.
Fire and rain may seem like opposite problems.
For some California communities, they are becoming part of the same seasonal story.
What Happens Next
California's winter storm season is approaching, but the exact story has not yet been written.
Federal forecasters expect a very strong El Niño and say the pattern increases the possibility of significant storms across parts of California. But officials continue to stress that El Niño does not guarantee a particular storm, rainfall total or location.
That leaves preparation as the one part of the equation communities can control.
Sandbags are already being positioned. Levees are being inspected. Rescue teams are receiving new equipment, while emergency officials are preparing systems that can provide faster information when flooding occurs.
And beneath all of that preparation is a paradox California knows well. The state needs water.
It also needs to be ready for what happens when the water comes too quickly.
This winter, Californians may find themselves watching the same clouds with very different hopes. For some, they may signal the rain they have been waiting for. For others, they may signal that it is time to prepare.
