Looks like Southern California got its January rain in July.

[SunSeeker]

2. I'll believe El Nino is coming when I see it.

I know this rain is not El Nino. This is just monsoonal moisture we get every year from tropical storm remnants. That usually just gives us a couple sprinkles but this year it's almost the amount of rain we should have gotten but didn't get in January. Hence the headline.

I imagine with global warming these monsoonal moisture events will continue to get more intense as tropical storms get more intense.

The problem with getting rain in the summer is that it does not create the snowpack we need, and can cause bad flash floods.

We need a good long winter soak from a strong El Nino. Seems to me they've predicted a winter El Nino every year of this drought and yet every year the drought gets worse. Sure hope they're right this time. But, as you indicate, it appears the warming of the oceans and the persistent high pressure/heat in the winter has disrupted the El Nino pattern.