Del Mar Beach

This may seem far away, but it’s not…
Lake Powell reaching critically low elevation levels, nearing 'dead power pool,' experts say
The reservoir could reach a "dead pool" when its elevation drops to 3,370 feet, at which point water can no longer flow past Glen Canyon Dam by gravity.
In a dead pool, about 240 feet of water would be trapped at the bottom of the canyon, unable to flow to millions of people who rely on it in Arizona, California and Nevada, the Lake Powell Chronicle reported.

Lake Powell reaching critically low elevation levels, nearing 'dead power pool,' experts say Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the U.S., is nearing critically low water elevation levels, the latest data shows.

King tides hit Mission Beach, and more flooding is expected

King tides, which are exceptionally high, hit Mission Beach, causing flooding in buildings along and near Mission Beach's Bayside Walk on Monday night, with the tides reaching as high as 7.4 feet, a rare occurrence during summer.
According to the National Weather Service in San Diego, more flooding is expected, with king tides forecast to reach another 6 to 7 feet on Tuesday and Wednesday, prompting the extension of a beach hazard notice for another night.
Meteorologist Sebastian Westerink noted that this is an atypical occurrence for summer, as king tides are more common in December and early January, when the Earth is closer to the sun, and the average elevation for a king tide is about 4 to 5 feet.
Mission Beach's Bayside Walk saw at least 4 inches of water on Monday night, after the tide's peak around 9 p.m., with Mission Beach Town Council President Larry Webb reporting that the Mission Beach Women's Club, which his wife manages, got about 2 inches of water, and he received help from neighbors to clear the water.
The king tides are caused by a greater gravitational push and pull than usual, which occurs when there is a full or new moon, and this week's king tides can be attributed to a new moon phase, according to Sea Grant California.
In preparation for the tides, the city posted warning signs and tips on social media, and a barrier was placed to protect a pump station, but it channeled the water to nearby roads and property, with city spokesperson Caleb Olsen unable to confirm if the barrier was placed in preparation for the tides or if it's permanent.
The city typically places a barrier around the entirety of the bay during the winter months, when king tides are more common, but it is taken down at the same time every year and not put up during the summer, according to Olsen.
To prepare for the expected flooding on Tuesday, a flood mediation team placed sandbags in front of the Mission Beach Women's Club, and plans to be on standby after 8 p.m. to keep the property safe, with Tuesday's tide forecast to reach above 7 feet in elevation.

King tides hit Mission Beach, and more flooding is expected The average elevation for a king tide is about 4 to 5 feet, the National Weather Service says. Monday night reached about 7.4 feet.

Not coming to a faucet near you…
Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink
Water, water everywhere — except where it counts. As of June 30, Lake Powell has dropped to its lowest level of 2026, sitting below 25% capacity. The second-largest reservoir in the United States is running out of room to run low.

This isn't a sudden shock. Powell has been in steady decline since the early 2000s, squeezed by persistent drought and a warming climate that pulls more moisture from snowpack before it ever reaches the Colorado River. Meanwhile, the cities and farms that depend on that water haven't scaled back — they can't afford to. Federal officials have already begun emergency releases from Flaming Gorge Reservoir upstream just to prop up the levels, a stopgap that only underscores how little buffer remains in the system.

The math is getting hard to ignore. When the reservoir designed to be the Colorado River's savings account is nearly empty, someone eventually can't make a withdrawal. Forty million people across seven states and parts of Mexico rely on this river basin.

So here's the question worth sitting with: what actually happens when the second-largest reservoir in the country can no longer meet the demand placed on it?

https://www.kjzz.org/science/2026-07-04/lake-powell-drops-to-lowest-level-of-2026-on-track-for-record-breaking-territory

Earthquakes rock California as fault line fears are ‘real and growing’

Two earthquakes rocked California in back-to-back days as fears about two major fault lines have been “real and growing.”
A magnitude 4.1 quake hit just outside of Frazier Park around 3:38 a.m. Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Times. It likely struck on the San Andreas fault line, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and was felt more than 40 miles away in Santa Clarita.

A second earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.3, shook Los Angeles and Southern California around 9:40 a.m. Monday. NBC reports dozens of aftershocks followed, measuring between 2.4 and 2.2 near the Garlock fault in the Mojave Desert.

Earthquakes rock California as fault line fears are ‘real and growing’ Stress has been accumulating for the past 1,000 years, experts say.

San Diego County braces for heat and thunderstorms as Beach Hazard Statement takes effect
Most of San Diego County will escape the heat wave coming to Southern California this week, but the desert areas will reach triple digits and the mountains could see thunderstorms, forecasters said Monday.
Some inland areas will see moderate to major heat risk mid-week, with highs in the mid-70s along the coast, upper 80s to mid-90s in the valleys, the mountains reaching 91 on Wednesday, and triple digits in the deserts peaking at 108 on Wednesday, according the National Weather Service.

San Diego County braces for heat and thunderstorms as Beach Hazard Statement takes effect San Diego County is bracing for a heat wave and possible thunderstorms, with desert areas reaching triple digits and coastal flooding risks.

Eddie did more than go, he went. Here is why. And how it applies to you.

The bumper sticker on the car ahead of you says "Eddie Would Go." You might assume it is a celebration of a high-stakes choice made in a historical storm. It isn’t.
Stop waiting for your storm to find out who you are. The command codes are written in the calm. Read more...

Before Rule: Decision Before Choice. Choices Are Loud. Decisions Are Quiet. Eddie Would Go: The Man Came First. The Sticker Came Later.

SoCal coastal attraction sparks controversy with plans to fix unbearable stench

Seal deodorant — apply under your seal fins every morning.
* Seal toothbrushes, seal toothpaste, and seal mouthwash — because seal fish breath doesn’t have to be a way of life.
* Seal restrooms — but seals still can’t tag the walls or use the back seal stall to store all their seal belongings.
* Seal toilet paper — now available in extra-soft kelp and “ocean fresh” scent. We’re doing everything we can to help seals become cleaner, fresher, and more civilized… one flipper at a time,” a third person wrote.

SoCal coastal attraction sparks controversy with plans to fix unbearable stench San Diego officials are tackling the “unbearable odor” from sea lion and bird waste at La Jolla Cove.

# 🌊 El Niño 2026 & San Diego: El Niño Briefing

# # 📡 WHERE WE STAND RIGHT NOW — July 6, 2026

This is 𝗻𝗼𝘁 a forecast anymore — it's already happening. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has issued an 𝗘𝗹 𝗡𝗶ñ𝗼 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆, with the Niño-3.4 index now at +𝟭.𝟳°𝗖 and climbing. The easternmost monitoring region (Niño 1+2) is already at +𝟮.𝟭°𝗖 — well inside "strong" territory, and subsurface heat content is *nearly double* what it was at the same point during the 2023 El Niño's development phase. Every major international model ensemble — ECMWF, NMME, IRI — is in rare agreement:

> 𝟲𝟯% 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 "𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴" (𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿) 𝗘𝗹 𝗡𝗶ñ𝗼 𝗯𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿–𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲–𝟮𝟳.
> 𝟴𝟴% 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮 "𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴" 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁.
> 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗹 𝗡𝗶ñ𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳.

The WMO Secretary-General has called this an "unprecedented mobilization" event. UC climate scientist Daniel Swain has stated it is "possible, even probable, that at least some effects will be unprecedented in the modern era," given El Niño's warming stacking on top of an already historic +𝟭.𝟰–𝟭.𝟱°𝗖 baseline of human-caused climate warming.

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# # ☀️ SUMMER 2026 — WHAT SAN DIEGO FEELS RIGHT NOW

Before winter even arrives, residents are already living the early-stage effects:

- 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺. Scripps Beach in La Jolla has already seen above-average sea surface temperatures. During the 1997–98 and 2015–16 Super El Niños, late-summer ocean temps there reached 𝟳𝟰–𝟳𝟲°𝗙 vs. the ~68°F average. Expect a similar or potentially record-breaking anomaly this year.
- 𝗠𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿. The warm Pacific is degrading San Diego's natural "air conditioning." Expect 𝟯–𝟭𝟬°𝗙 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 conditions than average, with noticeably higher coastal humidity — more like San Diego's tropical neighbor to the south.
- 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆. El Niño does NOT guarantee early fall rains. Santa Ana wind events remain possible, and without an early-season "green-up" of vegetation, fire risk stays elevated through October.
- 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. An extremely active Eastern Pacific hurricane season (AccuWeather forecasts 𝟭𝟳–𝟮𝟮 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀, with 𝟲–𝟵 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗼/𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 — more than double historical average) means increased chances of tropical moisture surges reaching San Diego this summer and fall, producing intense, localized downpours.

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# # 🌧️ WINTER 2026–27 — THE BIG PICTURE

This is where San Diego's most significant impacts arrive. Here's the expert breakdown:

# # # Precipitation: More Likely Than Not, But Not Guaranteed
Of the four "Very Strong" El Niños on record:
- 𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟮–𝟴𝟯: Coastal Southern California received 𝟮𝟬𝟬%+ 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹
- 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟳–𝟵𝟴: Again 𝟮𝟬𝟬%+ 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲
- 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟭–𝟵𝟮: ~133% of average
- 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟱–𝟭𝟲: A notable exception — only 𝟳𝟳% 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 in the Southland, despite being a top-tier event

The key variable is 𝗷𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. Climate change is nudging storm tracks northward. In 2015–16, most storms went to Seattle, not San Diego. Whether that pattern repeats or the jet drops far enough south is the central uncertainty. What *is* consistent across 𝗮𝗹𝗹 strong El Niño events:

> 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 — 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁.

# # # Atmospheric Rivers: Clustered and Intense
When the pattern does favor Southern California, El Niño doesn't deliver storms politely, one at a time. It delivers them in 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸-𝘁𝗼-𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 — "Pineapple Express" atmospheric rivers that arrive before the ground has time to drain. Saturated soils dramatically increase:
- Flash flood risk in creek corridors and canyons
- Mudslide risk on burn scars (especially post-wildfire slopes)
- Debris flow risk in mountain communities

AI Synthesized from NOAA, WMO, KPBS, Weather West (UC climatologist Daniel Swain), The Inertia, Fox 5 San Diego, Desert Sun, and AOL News
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How El Niño impacts the Atlantic and Pacific tropics El Niño is ramping up and will bring major impacts to the tropics. This side-by-side comparison of past El Niños shows just how much change it can bring. Meteorologist Rob Shackelford breaks down how each basin reacts to El Niño and what the factors are that cause this.