California is facing another season of significant rainfall due to the influence of El Nino. Since 1950, the state has had five strong or very strong El Ninos -- a rise in seawater temperatures that impact the region's weather.
Past El Ninos have led to average rainfall, varying from a few inches to nearly double our regular for the rain season.
The two strongest on record, 1982-83 and 1997-98, were associated with some of the highest rainfall ever recorded in downtown Los Angeles. Both seasons made the top 10 list of costliest floods for California
During the 1982-83 season, California suffered $1.2 billion in damage and 36 people were killed. A string of winter storms and a spring with double the normal rainfall brought heavy rain and flooding from the valleys to the coast, where homeowners felt the fury of the weather and vessels were tossed like toy boats in a bath.
Fifteen years later, the strongest El Nino on record influenced conditions that brought a year's worth of rainfall in one month. Seventeen people were killed and destruction totaled more than $500,000.
