Winter Storm Season in Laguna Beach

Before the first storm

The city runs its own page for this season, titled El Nino Preparation. As of its October 20, 2026 update, it lists sandbag events, workshops and the damage from this fall’s swells. Check it before you rely on anything below, because dates change. It also lists two more El Niño community preparedness workshops: Monday, November 9, 2026 at 3 p.m. in Council Chambers (livestreamed) and Tuesday, December 1, 2026 at 6 p.m. at the Susi Q (in person only).

The city’s own checklist for a home asks you to:

1. Clean out gutters and inspect the roof, windows and doors for places rain can get in.
2. Maintain drainage on your lot: gutters, storm drains, V ditches and slopes, plus sea walls if you own oceanfront property.
3. Pick up sandbags from the city or a local supplier.
4. Consider flood insurance. The home insurance page covers what a standard policy leaves out.
5. Get to know neighbors and what help they may need.
6. Plan for power outages, including backup power for medical devices. The city names Southern California Edison’s Critical Care Backup Battery program and SDG&E’s Customer Resiliency program.

Sandbags

The city provides filled sandbags during times of anticipated heavy rain, self-serve and first-come, first-served. You must be a Laguna Beach resident and show ID, and the limit is 10 per property. The city says it will post distribution on its website and social media. When filled bags are available, the sites are:

• ACT V parking lot (Lot 16), 1900 Laguna Canyon Road
• Aliso Beach East parking lot, 31132 S. Coast Highway

The city has also scheduled a distribution event on Friday, October 30, 2026, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Aliso Beach East lot, with Public Works and CERT volunteers loading vehicles. The limit there is 10 per Laguna Beach address, while supplies last.

Empty bags are free at the four fire stations: 501 Forest Avenue, 285 Agate Street, 2900 Alta Laguna Boulevard and 31646 Second Avenue. You provide the sand, and the city says it is not permitted to fill bags with sand from Laguna’s beaches or playgrounds. The city’s page lists Ganahl Lumber (1765 Laguna Canyon Road) and Larry’s Building Materials (1975 Laguna Canyon Road) in town, plus Home Depot stores in Laguna Niguel and Laguna Woods. Call ahead, since stock and prices change. The city does not place sandbags for the public except where streets are known to flood.

To dispose of undamaged bags, return them to the Act V lot or call Public Works at (949) 497-0711.

Alerts during a storm

The city’s El Nino Preparation page lists the same alert systems as its Alert and Warning page: Nixle (text 92651 to 888777), AlertOC, Wireless Emergency Alerts that need no sign-up and 24 outdoor sirens. The emergency alerts and wildfire page walks through each one. To report a problem on public property that may cause flooding, the El Nino Preparation page links the city’s Ask Laguna app.

What the city has posted about this fall

As of its October 20, 2026 update, the city’s El Nino Preparation page reports that swell from Hurricane Marie, starting September 2, moved sand off the beaches and that erosion was ongoing. It says six oceanfront homes on Ocean Way and Lagunita Drive were yellow-tagged because of compromised sea walls and that part of the Aliso Beach parking lot failed. It adds that Hurricane Polo led to the closure of the Agate Street stairs. A yellow tag restricts access to part of a property, and a red tag means occupants may not stay in or return to the structure until the city clears it.

The city proclaimed local emergencies for Hurricane Marie on September 10, 2026 and for Tropical Storm Rachel on October 9, 2026. The City Council ended the Hurricane Marie proclamation on October 13, 2026. The city says a proclamation helps it seek funding and regulatory flexibility, and does not restrict where you can go. The same page says Caltrans closed the two southbound Pacific Coast Highway lanes from Reef Point Drive to Irvine Cove Drive for temporary slope and roadway stabilization, and that the duration of the closure is unknown. Check Caltrans for current lane status.

If a storm damages your home, call Community Development at (949) 497-0715 for an inspector. After hours, call Public Safety Dispatch at (949) 497-0701. For emergency work on oceanfront property, the city has an Emergency Coastal Development Permit process, and Community Development’s number for it is (949) 497-0713.

Beach erosion and sea walls

As of its October 20, 2026 update, the El Nino Preparation page says the city does not yet know how much sand, if any, is gone for good. It notes that Main Beach, Treasure Island and Victoria have more sand than in recent memory, mostly pushed to the north end of each beach. The city has no plan for a sand replenishment project of its own. It says one reason for the emergency proclamations is to join other cities and the County of Orange in pursuing a larger regional project.

For oceanfront owners, the city says the first priority is to stabilize the property and put emergency protection in place, with a structural engineer who specializes in sea walls. Its certified Local Coastal Program lets some repair and maintenance proceed without a Coastal Development Permit, depending on the work. In a September 2026 statement, Mayor Mark Orgill asked sea wall owners to inspect and maintain them before the storm season. Contact Community Development before any work starts.

The El Niño outlook, from NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center issued its ENSO Diagnostic Discussion on October 8, 2026, with an El Niño Advisory in effect. In its words: “El Niño continues to strengthen, with a strong-to-very strong El Niño likely through January-March 2027 (remaining greater than an 83% chance).” It also said that with an event of this magnitude, “the chances of experiencing impacts consistent with El Niño are larger, though not guaranteed.” Its next discussion is scheduled for November 12, 2026.

The city’s page describes what it expects in a strong El Niño winter: more frequent storms, heavy rain that can flood downtown and canyon roads and saturate hillsides, higher seas and large swells that erode beaches and damage sea walls, and more power outages. The city adds that a strong El Niño does not guarantee a wet winter.

Landslides, as the USGS describes them

The U.S. Geological Survey captions the June 1, 2005 Bluebird Canyon landslide near Laguna Beach as having caused 350 homes to be evacuated, with 15 damaged or destroyed. It says the movement was most likely caused by heavy rains in January and February 2005. Standard home insurance policies generally exclude landslide and mudflow, according to the state Department of Insurance.

Storm drain and runoff rules

The city says releasing any contaminant into a storm drain, or anywhere it will run into one, is against the law and subject to citation or a fine. Water in the city’s streets, gutters and storm drains often flows to local creeks or the ocean without treatment. The city operates 25 diversion units that capture trash and debris from runoff and send the diverted water to the sewer for treatment.

For ocean water after rain, the OC Health Care Agency issues advisories and closures. It advises swimmers to avoid coastal waters affected by discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers, and posts closures at ocbeachinfo.com and on (714) 433-6400.

Rainfall normals by month

NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals for the Laguna Beach station give these monthly totals, with the average number of days that reach 0.10 inch or more in parentheses:

• October: 0.49 inches (0.9 days)
• November: 1.13 inches (1.4 days)
• December: 1.87 inches (3.2 days)
• January: 2.78 inches (4.9 days)
• February: 3.39 inches (5.3 days)
• March: 1.62 inches (3.2 days)
• April: 0.80 inches (2.0 days)

The twelve monthly normals add up to 12.68 inches. A normal is a 30-year average, so any single winter can land well above or below it.