Joint Letter: Request for Immediate State Action to Protect California Communities Before 2026-27 Winter Season Sep 9, 2026 Comment Letters To: Governor Gavin Newsom, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs Subject: Request for Immediate State Action (Executive Order) to Protect California Communities Before the 2026–27 Winter Season Letter excerpt: On behalf of the below signatories, we respectively request immediate state action to help local agencies prepare for the impending 2026-27 winter storm season. As of August 24, 2026, NOAA is predicting a 69% chance of a historic El Nino that would exceed the strength of previous El Nino events dating back to 1950. Further, NOAA and the European Climate Centers are also predicting increasing likelihoods of wet winter seasons across California. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is predicting a greater than 50% chance that rainfall totals in most of California will be in the highest 20% of the climatological record for the December through February 2027 period (exhibit attached). The model also predicts a greater than 70% chance of extreme rainfall for much of coastal California. It is now very likely that California will experience stronger and more persistent storms, including repeated atmospheric river events across California. Download Comment Letter
