This Winter's El Niño Could Be Historic — Here's How to Keep the Power On

If it feels like every forecaster is suddenly talking about El Niño, that's because this one is shaping up to be unusual. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center issued an advisory giving this winter's El Niño a greater than 90% chance of becoming a very strong event — with sea surface temperatures in the Pacific already running hot enough that some forecasters are watching for a record-setting season. For the South Bay, that translates into one thing homeowners should plan around now: a real winter storm season, after several years of relatively quiet ones.

Why a strong El Niño means more outages, not just more rain

El Niño winters don't just bring more rain to Southern California — they tend to bring it in bursts, via atmospheric river storms packing sustained wind alongside heavy rainfall. That combination is exactly what knocks down tree limbs and power lines, which is the most common cause of storm-related outages in our area. It's a different mechanism than the wildfire-season Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) SCE uses in dry, windy conditions — but a strong El Niño winter can bring both: SCE's own guidance notes PSPS events can still happen through fall on high-wind days, and once winter storms arrive, wind-and-rain outages become the bigger risk. Either way, SCE says restoration after a shutoff typically takes several hours to over a day, since safety inspections have to clear the lines first.

A local situation worth watching closely: the Palos Verdes Peninsula

If you're in Rancho Palos Verdes or the surrounding Peninsula, this isn't hypothetical. Since 2023, heavy rainfall has accelerated land movement in the Portuguese Bend area badly enough that SCE has permanently cut power — and in some cases gas — to homes there for safety, with restoration tied to the land stabilizing. It's still an active, evolving situation as of this year, and SCE has been clear that further land movement remains possible. A historically wet El Niño winter is exactly the kind of rainfall that has worsened this situation before. If you're on the Peninsula, this is the year to have a real backup power plan in place, not just a flashlight in a drawer.

What SCE recommends — and where it falls short

SCE's own preparedness guidance is a reasonable baseline: a battery-operated radio, flashlights, a first-aid kit, extra blankets, and a portable power station or generator for essentials like your fridge. That's fine for a short outage. It's a lot less reasonable when an outage runs a day or more, which is increasingly the pattern SCE itself describes for both PSPS events and storm damage — or when you're one of the Peninsula homes where "backup power" may need to cover you indefinitely, not just for a night.

The better answer: battery storage that kicks in automatically

A portable generator needs you to be home, needs fuel you have to store and rotate, and can't run safely indoors. A home battery system paired with solar does something a generator can't: it switches over automatically, runs quietly, and — because it's charged by your own solar panels — it doesn't run out of fuel mid-storm. For a lot of homes we work with, this is the actual reason they went solar-plus-battery in the first place, El Niño or not: the storm doesn't care what time it hits, and neither does a battery that's already switched over before you've noticed the lights flicker.

Already have a battery system? A few things worth checking

Before the storms roll in:

• Confirm which circuits are on your critical-loads panel — if your needs have changed since installation (new medical equipment, a home office, etc.), it may be worth revisiting.
• Make sure your system's app notifications are turned on, so you know your state of charge before a multi-day storm.
• If you haven't had a service check in a while, now's a good time — a firmware update or a quick inspection is a lot easier before storm season than during it.

Our take

Whether you're weighing battery storage for the first time or just want a system check before the season starts, that's a conversation we're always happy to have.