Next storm set to soak California, Southwest in preview of wet Super El Niño winter pattern
This follows storms that triggered flash flooding in parts of Southern California and deadly floods in the Four Corners region last week.
Moisture from Olana to soak California this weekend in potential Super El Niño winter preview
Both Northern and Southern California will face another storm system capable of heavy rain this Halloween weekend as a plume of tropical moisture from the remnants of Olana near Hawaii slams into the West Coast amid a rapidly strengthening El Niño climate pattern. This comes on the heels of storms that triggered flash flooding in parts of Southern California and deadly floods in the Four Corners region last week.
THE TAKEAWAY
- Both Northern and Southern California, and the Southwest, will face another round of heavy rain this Halloween weekend.
- A plume of tropical moisture from the remnants of Olana near Hawaii will be funneled along the Pacific jet stream into the West Coast.
- This could be just a small preview of a dangerous, El Niño-driven wet pattern this winter, with a Super El Niño expected to be declared later this year.
Both Northern and Southern California will face another storm system capable of heavy rain this Halloween weekend as a plume of tropical moisture from the remnants of Olana near Hawaii slams into the West Coast amid a rapidly strengthening El Niño climate pattern.
This comes on the heels of storms that triggered flash flooding in parts of Southern California and deadly floods in the Four Corners region last week.
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Local officials said one woman was killed after her car was swept away by floodwaters while attempting to cross an arroyo near Santa Fe, New Mexico, Saturday evening. A man and a small child who were in the same car were able to escape.
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Another person was killed during flash flooding when water from the Rio Puerco inundated two homes in Socorro County, New Mexico, on Sunday; nine others were rescued, according to the Valencia County Fire Department.
Floodwater from recent rains covers a roadway in Malibu, California, on October 22, 2026. ((Photo by Caroline Brehman / AFP via Getty Images) / FOX Weather)
The next storm system will push onto the West Coast late Saturday as a strong Pacific jet stream carries tropical moisture from the remnants of Olana.
Both Northern and Southern California will face another round of moderate-to-heavy rain, with potential for mountain snow in some parts of the Sierra. Los Angeles and San Diego could see periods of heavy rain.
The system will push inland into the Southwest and Great Basin through Monday, bringing scattered showers and mountain snow.
This could be just a small preview of a dangerous, El Niño-driven wet pattern this winter, with a Super El Niño expected to be declared later this year.
"The hallmark of a strong-to-super El Niño is the intensification and eastward extension of the subtropical Pacific jet," the FOX Forecast Center said.
The jet stream acts as a conveyor belt that directs storm systems across the Southern Tier of the U.S.
El Niño fall and winter impacts (FOX Weather / FOX Weather)
El Niño is one of three phases of a climate cycle called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It describes natural temperature changes in the central Pacific Ocean that alter atmospheric circulation and can greatly influence global weather.
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El Niño describes warmer than average water across the equatorial Pacific, while La Niña describes colder than average water conditions, and ENSO neutral refers to a state where temperatures are close to average.
Huntington Beach, CA - October 26: Sea water floods on to Pacific Coast Highway during high tide in Sunset Beach on Monday, October 26, 2026. ((Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) / Getty Images)
These warmer waters influence atmospheric circulation and can shift the jet stream, changing storm tracks, precipitation patterns and temperatures across the U.S.
El Niño is also currently enhancing the tidal flooding across the California coast, with water inundating buildings and roads along the shore in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and San Diego.