--- title: El Niño California Drought: Phenonemon Arrives But May Not Give Relief description: El Niño has finally arrived, but the precipitation brought by the weather event is unlikely to alleviate California's severe drought. canonical: https://time.com/3734013/el-nino-california-drought/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-05T19:57:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:47.024Z article:section: Science og:title: El Niño California Drought: Phenonemon Arrives But May Not Give Relief og:description: El Niño has finally arrived, but the precipitation brought by the weather event is unlikely to alleviate California's severe drought. og:url: https://time.com/3734013/el-nino-california-drought/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0871dcd393229a6d/6986a0a1f983e74bab04f57c/climate-change.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2640 og:image:height: 1485 og:image:alt: California's Drought Becomes Critical og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: El Niño California Drought: Phenonemon Arrives But May Not Give Relief twitter:description: El Niño has finally arrived, but the precipitation brought by the weather event is unlikely to alleviate California's severe drought. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0871dcd393229a6d/6986a0a1f983e74bab04f57c/climate-change.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # El Niño Arrival Too Late for California Drought > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=43532a32-87ee-4fb6-b78d-7fe99e44dc20&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 40,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 34.2% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 2.1% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. An engaged audience of executives and decision-makers spanning operating companies, finance, policy, consulting, communications and media. ### TIME Future Proof: key statements * Future Proof is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Future Proof is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=43532a32-87ee-4fb6-b78d-7fe99e44dc20&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/subscribe?i=43532a32-87ee-4fb6-b78d-7fe99e44dc20&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's climate and energy newsletter? Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: How California’s Drought Will Affect Your Wallet [Watch (HLS stream): How California’s Drought Will Affect Your Wallet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/e4k4jpdG.m3u8) (1:21)  _Published 2014-09-17. A drought in California means higher grocery prices for Americans_  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Mar 5, 2015 7:57 PM UTC  One of two major water storage lakes on the Russian River is lake Mendocino, which is nearly empty on January 24, 2014, near Ukiah, California. One of two major water storage lakes on the Russian River is lake Mendocino, which is nearly empty on January 24, 2014, near Ukiah, California. George Rose—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Mar 5, 2015 7:57 PM UTC El Niño has finally arrived, but the precipitation brought by the weather event is unlikely to alleviate California’s severe drought, officials said Thursday. “After many months of watching, El Niño has formed,” said Mike Halpert, an official at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center. “Unfortunately, this El Niño is likely too little, too late and too weak to provide much relief for drought-stricken California as California’s rainy season is winding down.” El Niño, a cyclical phenomenon that lasts several years, begins with warming in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and eventually affects weather around the world. In the United States, it can lead to storms along the West Coast and affect hurricanes and other tropical storms. Tropical storm activity could be reduced due to El Niño, but it’s too soon to know for certain, the NOAA said. Forecasters have been waiting to declare the start of El Niño for nearly a year. The late arrival may make El Niño-related storms “weak in strength” with “fairly low influence on weather inclement,” Halpert said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3734013/el-nino-california-drought/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3734013/el-nino-california-drought/"},"headline":"El Niño Arrival Too Late for California Drought","datePublished":"2015-03-05T19:57:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:59:47.024Z","description":"\"Too little, too late and too weak to provide much relief for drought-stricken California\"","url":"https://time.com/3734013/el-nino-california-drought/","keywords":["Environment","weather","climate change","climate","El Nino","California drought"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0871dcd393229a6d/6986a0a1f983e74bab04f57c/climate-change.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0871dcd393229a6d/6986a0a1f983e74bab04f57c/climate-change.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"California's Drought Becomes Critical","caption":"California's Drought Becomes Critical","creditText":"George Rose—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/environment/","name":"Environment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3734013/el-nino-california-drought/","name":"El Niño Arrival Too Late for California Drought"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How California’s Drought Will Affect Your Wallet","description":"A drought in California means higher grocery prices for Americans","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/e4k4jpdG/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-09-17T15:11:24.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/e4k4jpdG.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3734013/el-nino-california-drought/","duration":"PT1M21S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3734013/el-nino-california-drought/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```