Del Mar is installing sand berms and staging sandbags at 30 flood-prone locations ahead of what forecasters call a potential "super" El Niño.

At the Del Mar City Council's Tuesday, Sept. 8 session, Assistant City Manager Clem Brown laid out a multi-department storm plan covering public works, community services and the fire department, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting a strong El Niño for Southern California, Brown said, meaning above-normal winter precipitation is expected. Timing and intensity remain unknown, and NOAA said at a recent webinar that probabilities are not yet high enough to issue explicit predictions.

"Del Mar is unique with our bluffs, canyons and low-lying drainage," Brown said. "It makes us more vulnerable than most communities if one of these scenarios were to play out."

The city's public works department has activated its winter checklist: clearing storm drains, inlets and channels, and readying portable water pumps. An on-call tree contractor is staged for downed limbs.

The community services department is monitoring rain-rate forecasts and coordinating seawall barriers, sand push-ups and street-end barricades. Seasonal sand berms to limit coastal flooding were set to go up along the beach the week of Sept. 15.

The San Dieguito Lagoon inlet is also likely to be dredged in the first two weeks of November. Southern California Edison will conduct the two-week effort, removing up to 20,000 cubic yards from the river channel. That material will be placed as sand nourishment on Del Mar's beaches, and the dredging is aimed at preventing water from backing up into the lagoon and surrounding neighborhoods.

Brown said the city is better positioned than during past El Niños in the 1980s and 1990s because more private property is now protected by seawalls and the city has barricade-ready beach access points. The restored San Dieguito Lagoon also helps manage rainfall, storm surge and tidal flow, he said.

The Del Mar Fire Department is prepared to add staff when forecasts warn of extreme winds and downed trees or power lines, according to a city alert posted Sept. 3. Lifeguards are also staffing up and refreshing swift water rescue training.

During public comment, Ocean Front resident Rick Cooley pushed back. He said the city's plans sounded routine for a year that is anything but normal. Cooley warned that San Diego could see double its usual rainfall, with major swells and flooding putting hundreds of Beach Colony homes at risk.

City Manager Ashley Jones said the city has plans in place and is not simply waiting and watching. Staff is talking to coastal counterparts including Long Beach, which was hit by large waves and high tides the week before the Sept. 8 meeting, Jones said.

Residents can pick up to 10 self-fill sandbags at the public works yard, 2240 Jimmy Durante Blvd., with proof of residency. The city is also asking homeowners to trim trees, clean gutters and downspouts, check roof and window seals, and use sandbags where needed.

King tides are expected Jan. 21–22, 2027, according to a resident letter submitted to the council. When king tides coincide with heavy rainfall, San Dieguito Drive along the lagoon has historically flooded.

The city has launched an El Niño webpage with updates and preparedness information.