{"id":491047,"date":"2026-10-10T02:20:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T02:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491047\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T02:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T02:20:10","slug":"sea-lion-rescues-evacuations-a-massive-sink-hole-a-sportfishing-bonanza-a-look-at-past-strong-el-nino-years-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491047\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea lion rescues, evacuations, a massive sink hole, \u2018a sportfishing bonanza\u2019: A look at past strong El Ni\u00f1o years \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

An advisory issued Thursday<\/a> by the National Weather Service\u2019s Climate Prediction center says that it expects \u201ca strong-to-very strong El Ni\u00f1o likely through January-March 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t the first time the United States has seen what is known as a historically strong<\/a> El Ni\u00f1o event. There have been at least 11 prior periods going back nearly seven decades \u2014 to before<\/a> Interstate 8 was built through Mission Valley and to the same year UC San Diego first opened to undergraduates in La Jolla.<\/p>\n

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) measures these events with what it calls its Oceanic Ni\u00f1o Index; the higher the measurement, the stronger the El Nino. The organization\u2019s data going back to the 1950s found that the following years saw stronger-than-normal\u00a0El Ni\u00f1o measurements: 1957-58, 1963-64, 1965-66, 1972-73, 1982-83, 1986-87, 1991-92, 1997-98, 2002-03, 2009-10 and 2015-16.<\/p>\n

And it looks like this year will continue the trend. Here\u2019s a look at some El Ni\u00f1o snapshots from the past few decades, according to news reports from The San Diego Union-Tribune archives.<\/p>\n

1997-98<\/p>\n

May 29, 1997: \u201cLocal fishermen this week reported their biggest haul of squid since 1990, when crowds of calamari came north with the warm Pacific current known as El Ni\u00f1o.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oct. 3, 1997: \u201cAlthough malevolent prospects of El Ni\u00f1o are feared this winter, local lifeguards say the global climatic effect already has been a factor in recent drownings. \u2026 In a little over a month, there have been five drownings off county beaches that would-be rescuers attributed to rip currents \u2014 a surprisingly high number.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oct. 16, 1997: \u201cEl Ni\u00f1o has brought the best fishing season we\u2019ve had in 25 years,\u201d reports Bob Fletcher, president of the San Diego-based Sportfishing Association of California. \u201cIt\u2019s been a sportfishing bonanza.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feb. 9, 1998: \u201cAn overnight storm that concentrated its force early yesterday on the county\u2019s midsection sent creeks and rivers over their banks, flooded intersections, threatened homes and battered the shoreline before making its deadly pass through Baja California. \u2026 The San Diego Lifeguard Service made at least 16 river rescues, and homes in Santee Lakes and Lakeside were evacuated as a precaution. But no serious injuries were reported in the county.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feb. 10, 1998: \u201cSea World broke its one-day record Sunday when its staff rescued 11 sea lions from local beaches and brought them to the park\u2019s rehabilitation center. The previous one-day rescue total was nine sea lions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feb. 20, 1998: \u201cFilled to the brim by the recent El Ni\u00f1o storms, Lake Hodges Dam has begun spilling over in a majestic waterfall that some motorists and passers-by are unable to resist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feb. 23, 1998: \u201cSo far, the Aztecs have struggled through nine largely damp games (their record is 4-5) and have had to cancel six because of rain and\/or wet grounds. \u2018In all my (27-year San Diego State) career, I\u2019ve never seen anything like this,\u201d said coach Jim Dietz, whose season has been awash in El Ni\u00f1o rains.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Feb. 25, 1998: \u201cEl Nino earned its notorious reputation yesterday with a punishing storm that thrashed San Diego County from shoreline to mountains. \u2026 Two hundred people from a mobile home park and two recreational vehicle parks in Oceanside were evacuated as floodwaters rose. Throughout the county, an estimated 50 other residents fled homes that were flooded by overwhelmed storm drains or damaged by fallen trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feb. 28, 1998: \u201cCity officials are worried that more than 200 feet of sea wall in Pacific Beach could collapse onto the sand after it pulled away from the boardwalk yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

March 2, 1998: \u201cA red pickup truck swallowed by a Kearny Mesa sinkhole last week was unearthed by Caltrans workers yesterday. The huge sinkhole opened during El Ni\u00f1o-influenced rains last Monday, growing during the week into an enormous pit that measures about 550 feet from north to south, about 35 feet wide and 65 feet deep at Interstate 15 and Balboa Avenue.\u201d<\/p>\n

March 29, 1998: \u201cNational Weather Service spotters reported that hail fell yesterday in Rancho Bernardo and Escondido and at the Wild Animal Park, which is just south of Escondido. Other reports said hail clattered on Horton Plaza and other spots downtown and elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

July 4, 1998: Across Southern California \u2014 from San Luis Obispo to the border \u2014 El Ni\u00f1o of 1997-98 dumped 231% of normal rainfall, according to the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n

\"DeadDead pelagic crabs cover the shore in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego on Tuesday, May 7, 2002. The creatures, more commonly known as tuna crabs, might be evidence that an El Nino event is brewing. (John R. McCutchen \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\n2002-03<\/p>\n

May 7, 2002: \u201cThousands of pelagic red crabs washed up along San Diego\u2019s beaches yesterday, a phenomenon that provides more evidence that another El Ni\u00f1o event may be brewing.\u201d<\/p>\n

July 20, 2002: \u201cNow 2-foot jumbo squid are washing up by the dozens along the shore from Imperial Beach to Encinitas. \u2026 While scientists aren\u2019t certain what\u2019s causing the sea creatures to beach themselves along Southern California this summer, El Ni\u00f1o is a leading suspect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ChildrenChildren walked by some of the jumbo flying squid that covered the beaches of La Jolla Cove, Friday July 26, 2002. (Don Kohlbauer \/ UT file)<\/p>\n

Dec. 29, 2002: \u201cA tropical sea turtle that drifted more than 1,400 miles north of its normal range is being treated for hypothermia and malnutrition at SeaWorld.\u201d<\/p>\n

March 5, 2003: \u201cEl Ni\u00f1o has played hide and seek; we\u2019ve had very wet periods mixed with unusually long dry periods. November and December were sopping; January was bone dry; and last month was the 10th wettest February in city history.\u201d<\/p>\n

2009-10<\/p>\n

Jan. 10, 2010: \u201cIn the end, 2009 went down as yet another drought year, with below-normal rainfall in every month but two.\u201d<\/p>\n

March 9, 2010: \u201cA particularly damaging mix of high tides and high surf and a growing number of winter storms have stripped the sand from much of Imperial Beach, resulting in an emergency situation for \u2026 neighbors on Ocean Lane. They have asked the city to permit them to temporarily protect their condos with special 6-by-6-foot sandbags.\u201d<\/p>\n

April 27, 2010: \u201cA long succession of storms since winter has stripped large amounts of sand from the county\u2019s coastline, creating unusually dangerous swimming conditions that could bedevil beachgoers well into the summer. \u2026 This winter and spring, El Ni\u00f1o-driven storms with powerful winds have denuded the beaches far more than in most years.\u201d<\/p>\n

2015-16<\/p>\n

Jan. 3, 2015: \u201cPeople who saw ice on their roofs and snow on nearby hills this week might find it hard to believe, but San Diego just finished its warmest year on record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feb. 19, 2015: \u201cFar more sea lion pups are stranding on California beaches than usual this year, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sept. 16, 2015: \u201cThe remnants of Hurricane Linda brought record rainfall to San Diego County on Tuesday, easing the region\u2019s wildfire danger while contributing to the temporary closure of Interstate 15.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dec. 12, 2015: \u201cSeaWorld has rescued an unprecedented 973 sea lions this year. The previous record was 474, set in 1983 when the ocean was also warmed by El Ni\u00f1o.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jan. 10, 2016: \u201cToday eight families along Cabaret Street are struggling to rebuild their lives after the storm drain gave way and pushed millions of gallons of water through their homes and property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jan. 22, 2016: \u201cThe Del Mar City Council declared a local state of emergency this week after a bluff collapsed during powerful El Ni\u00f1o storms earlier this month, forcing the city to close a busy section of Camino Del Mar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jan. 28, 2016: \u201cLifeguards at Swami\u2019s Beach warned beachgoers Wednesday to stay away from the bluffs after several tons of debris collapsed onto the beach this past weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jan. 31, 2016: \u201cOceanside beaches have gotten noticeably smaller over the past few months after being battered by huge waves and some early El Ni\u00f1o storms, and officials say they\u2019re working on ways to replenish some of the sand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WorkersWorkers remove a tree that fell due to a storm at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Powerful winds lashed Southern California on Monday at the tail end of a winter storm that also brought heavy rain and mountain snow. (John Gibbins\/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP)<\/p>\n

Feb. 1, 2016: \u201cA fierce storm brought heavy rain and wild winds to San Diego on Sunday, toppling trees \u2014 including one that killed a motorist in Pacific Beach \u2014 causing power outages and postponing until today the completion of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An advisory issued Thursday by the National Weather Service\u2019s Climate Prediction center says that it expects \u201ca strong-to-very…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":491048,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[7,23,100,3054,74,84,76,75,3055,1696,19],"class_list":["post-491047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-california","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-north-county","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-county","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-south-county","tag-top-stories-sdut","tag-weather"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/491048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}