A dry fall makes it easy to forget what a wet winter does to a backyard.
This winter looks different. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center gives better than 83 percent odds of a strong to very strong El Niño lasting into early 2027. Forecasters are already watching mid-November for the first atmospheric river of the season.
Most of the storm damage we see isn't to the pool itself. It's to everything around it: a pump sitting in a flooded side yard, a breaker that won't stay on, a spa cover that blew off and filled with rain. Here's how to get ahead of it.
What Does El Niño Mean for Placer County This Winter?
El Niño shifts the Pacific storm track, and strong events tend to push more storms into California. The National Weather Service in Sacramento says the outlook for Northern California leans wetter and warmer than normal this winter.
That's a lean, not a promise. In the six very strong El Niños since 1950, Northern California split evenly: two wet winters, two normal, and two dry. The outlooks can't tell you when storms will land or how hard they'll hit.
So plan for a few big storms instead of hoping for none. A warmer lean also means hard freezes may matter less than usual. If you've been wondering whether to winterize your pool, the bigger risks this year are water, wind, and power.
Should You Drain Your Pool Before a Big Storm?
No. Don't drain it, and don't lower it much.
The water in your pool helps hold it in place. An empty or half-empty pool sitting in saturated ground can shift, crack, or in the worst case lift. That risk is highest with vinyl and fiberglass pools.
Most pools can handle a big storm on their own. Two inches of rain raises the water about two inches, plus whatever runs off the deck. If your water is already sitting high, bring it down to the middle of the skimmer opening before the storm. That's enough.
If it rises over the skimmer afterward, pump it back down to the same spot. Placer County asks that pool and spa water go to the sanitary sewer, not the street or a storm drain. Check your city's rules before you run a hose to the curb.
While you're out there, make sure the deck drains are clear and the gutters aren't dumping water onto the deck.
How Do You Protect Pool Equipment From Flooding?
Start by looking at where your equipment sits. In a lot of newer neighborhoods in Lincoln, Rocklin, and Roseville, the pad is in a narrow side yard between two houses. That's exactly where roof runoff collects when a gutter overflows or a downspout points the wrong way.
Before the first storm:
Clear the side-yard drain so water has somewhere to go.
Turn downspouts away from the equipment pad.
Clear leaves and dirt from around the pump base so water runs off the pad instead of pooling on it.
Make sure the cover on your timer box or control panel closes all the way.
Pump motors are air-cooled and aren't built to sit in water. If your pad floods, shut the equipment off at the breaker and leave it off. Don't turn it back on until it's dry and has been checked. Running a motor that took on water can short it out, and then a cleanup turns into a pool repair.
On sloped lots in Penryn and Loomis, watch for mud and runoff coming down from the landscaping uphill. One heavy storm can wash it across the deck, into the pool, and over the pad.
What Should You Do When the Power Goes Out?
Big storms and power outages tend to come together. With the power out, the pump stops, the chlorinator stops, and the water stops moving. A day or two is usually fine. Much longer than that, especially with debris in the water, and algae gets a head start.
When the power comes back:
Look at the equipment pad first. If there's standing water around it, leave everything off.
If the breaker tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, stop. A breaker that keeps tripping is telling you something, and our post on why a pool or spa keeps tripping the breaker explains what.
Make sure the pump primes and water is moving through the baskets.
Reset the timer. Mechanical timers stop during an outage and come back running behind. Daylight saving time ended on November 1, so if you haven't reset yours yet, it's already an hour off.
If you're on a well in Sheridan, Loomis, or Penryn, an outage also stops your well pump. You can't top off or rinse anything until the power is back, so plan for that.
If you ever feel a tingle in the water or see sparks at the pad, stay away from both. Cut the power at the breaker and call. We cover the warning signs in our post on scary pool and spa problems.
How Do You Get a Spa or Hot Tub Through a Storm?
A spa cover is a big flat surface, and storm wind gets under it. Clip the straps on every side before the wind picks up. A cover that blows off can crack, tear, or end up in the pool.
Rain is the other problem. Water that sits on a cover works its way in through worn seams, and a waterlogged cover gets heavy and stops sealing. Brush the standing water off after each storm. If your cover already feels heavy, this winter will probably finish it off.
Portable hot tubs that sit on the ground need water to drain away from the base. Water that pools under the cabinet can reach the pump, heater, and control box. If you open the side panel after a storm and find water inside, leave the spa off. That's a spa repair call, not something to reset and hope for.
After an outage, a spa may come back with an error code or take a day to warm up again. If it doesn't heat back up, start with why your pool or spa won't heat.
What About Leaves, Branches, and Debris?
The first big storms knock down whatever the trees were still holding. In Granite Bay and Loomis, that means a lot of oak.
Empty the skimmer and pump baskets before each storm and again after. A full basket starves the pump of water, and a pump running without enough water can overheat and damage its seal. If the filter pressure jumps after a storm, the filter is catching what the baskets missed. Our post on why filter pressure keeps climbing covers what to do next.
Pull branches and leaf piles out of the pool quickly, before they stain the plaster. And if a dead limb is hanging over the pool or spa, have it taken down before a windy storm takes it down for you.
What to Check After Each Storm
El Niño winters tend to bring storms in waves. A quick check after each one keeps small problems from stacking up.
Equipment pad: dry, no standing water, timer box closed
Water level: back to the middle of the skimmer
Skimmer and pump baskets: emptied
Filter pressure: close to normal
Spa cover: in place, straps clipped, no standing water
Water chemistry: tested and rebalanced
Rain moves pH, alkalinity, and chlorine faster than most people expect. Our post on what the first fall rain does to your pool covers the chemistry, and our fall and winter pool and spa guide covers the rest of the season.
When to Call for a Repair
Some things are worth handling yourself. These aren't:
Equipment that sat in water
A breaker or GFCI that keeps tripping
A pump that won't prime, or that runs louder after a storm
A spa that won't heat or shows an error code
Water inside a hot tub cabinet
Water that turns green or cloudy and won't clear
Quick Answers
Should I drain my pool before a big storm? No. The water helps hold the pool in place, and an empty pool in saturated ground can shift or even lift. If the water is already high, lower it to the middle of the skimmer opening and leave it there.
Is it safe to turn my pool pump back on after it floods? Not until the equipment is dry and has been checked. Pump motors aren't built to sit in water, and powering one up after it floods can short it out.
What should I do with my pool after a power outage? Check the equipment pad for standing water, reset the breaker once, make sure the pump primes, and reset the timer. If the breaker trips again, leave it off and call for a repair.
Will El Niño bring a wet winter to Placer County? It may. The NWS outlook for Northern California leans wetter and warmer than normal. But past very strong El Niños gave Northern California an even split of wet, normal, and dry winters.
Where can I drain pool water in Placer County? Placer County asks that pool and spa water go to the sanitary sewer, not the street or a storm drain. Check your city's rules as well.
Getting Through Storm Season
American Dream Pool & Spa Service is based in Lincoln. We provide weekly pool service and spa service, along with pool repairs and spa repairs, for homeowners in Lincoln, Rocklin, Roseville, Granite Bay, Loomis, Penryn, and Sheridan.
On weekly service, we already check the baskets, the water, and the equipment on every visit, which covers most of the list above.
If a storm leaves you with a flooded pad, a tripped breaker, or a spa that won't heat, call or text us at (916) 975-7370, or reach us here.
