It will add to the rain that we're going to get, but it's not rainy season yet.

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/21/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-to-bolster-statewide-el-nino-preparedness-protect-california/

In plain terms, the Pacific is unusually warm, and that warmth can shift storm tracks and load the atmosphere with more energy over the months ahead.

For California, that can mean repeated rounds of heavy rain, strong winds, mountain snow, flooding, landslides, debris flows, large waves, and coastal flooding, especially when storms hit during very high tides. For families, that can mean roads closed by flooding or rockslides, power outages, neighborhoods cut off, damage to homes and businesses, and fast-changing conditions that leave little time to react.

And also, there's that Kelvin Wave that's headed for us.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/28/california-kelvin-wave

That's going to raise sea levels by a foot or so for months, in addition to regular sea level rise from any storm surge, so expect lots of flooding.