In the middle of October, Southern California was hit with unusual weather conditions, leading to issues regarding rain and storms. Here at Sage Creek on Oct. 14, heavy rain hit the school, with Oceanside receiving 0.49 inches of precipitation.

The La Niña this year is expected to cause dryness and warmth, making the bizarre conditions all the more strange. 

Nash Nelson, a sophomore, explains what he witnessed from his classroom during the peak of the rainfall.

“I knew ahead of time that it would rain that day, but it was still shocking how hard it rained,” Nelson said. “I witnessed the pouring rain from inside a classroom through the window.”

Lucas Nowak, another sophomore, makes light of the unusual conditions.

“I actually really enjoyed the rain, it doesn’t come very often, it was actually nice, I didn’t bring an umbrella, I was just basking in the rain,” Nowak said. “It doesn’t rain often, but I’m thankful for where I live because every day is always beautiful, and I wish it would rain more often.”

Carlsbad was not the only city severely affected by the storms and rainfall. In the same week, Los Angeles, a city that rarely floods, experienced a flood. This minor flooding was significant enough to lead to evacuation in the affected areas. Not only that, but as a consequence of the rain, there were severe mudslides that impacted traffic and roadways.

The storms led to infrastructural damage, with the heavy winds knocking down power lines, leading to outages, uprooting trees, and toppling into cars and buildings. Many freeway accidents occurred as well, as the significant rainfall made driving conditions drastically worse. 

Downtown Los Angeles recorded 1.38 inches on Tuesday, Oct. 14, marking the wettest October day in the city in 16 years. In total, around 115 homes were under evacuation warnings in the Pacific Palisades and Mandeville Canyon alone, with other locations receiving similar warnings.

As Carlsbad’s climate changes, more severe weather is becoming increasingly unpredictable, meaning that it is best to be prepared for the unexpected.