Tijuana’s mayor warns of possible “historic” rains as a strong El Niño builds

Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño has warned that the city could see “historic” rains in the coming months, pointing to the possible arrival of what he called a “Súper Niño” in November, Semanario Zeta reported on Monday. About 10 families were affected by the weekend’s flooding as Tropical Storm Rachel moved through, and the city’s urban development department, led by Virginia Vargas, reported some 21 storm-related jobs, according to the paper.

The U.S. outlook points the same way. In its Oct. 8 update, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center kept its El Niño Advisory in place, said El Niño is still strengthening and called a strong-to-very strong event likely through January–March 2027. It also put the chance of a historic-strength event at 83% for October–December. NOAA notes that impacts are more likely with an event of this size, though not guaranteed.

What the city says it is doing

• Working sessions with the state and federal governments to identify risk points and vulnerable infrastructure (Zeta).
• Notifying families who live in areas where landslides are possible (Zeta).
• Clearing channels and arroyos: removing silt in Los Almendros, on Avenida Eucalipto, cleaning the La Morita arroyo and clearing 1.2 kilometers of storm channel on Calle Campeche in colonia El Pípila, work the city says benefits 6,000 residents (Zeta, En Línea BC).
• Taking people caught dumping trash in arroyos or unauthorized areas before a municipal judge (Zeta).

Some storm damage is still unresolved. The bridge that links ejido Francisco Villa with Terrazas del Valle has been closed to all traffic since Monday morning, when a car’s tire got caught in a sinkhole on the roadway, according to Zeta, Diario Tijuana and Uniradio. According to Uniradio, city public works director Carlos Gastélum Félix said the bridge and its drainage are part of commitments tied to the Corredor 2000, that the state’s urban development department has to set the investment and start date, and that the work depends on CFE authorizing access to adjacent land. No reopening date has been given.

If you live here or visit this winter

• Keep trash out of storm channels, sand traps and arroyos. The city says keeping them clear is key to preventing blockages and flooding.
• When it rains hard, avoid flooded streets and arroyo crossings, and allow extra time on the road and at the border.
• For official alerts, follow Tijuana’s civil protection office, Mexico’s weather service (SMN) and the National Weather Service in San Diego. When a storm hits, our rainy-day guide has indoor plans.