Sandbags return to Depot Park on Tuesday as Sonoma gets winter ready
The city opens its self service sandbag station at Depot Park on October 20, earlier than usual, and hands out free empty bags at City Hall. The next evening, the county hosts a Winter Ready town hall online, as the state prepares for a forecast strong El Nino winter.
SONOMA: The sand pile is coming back to Depot Park, ahead of the rain. Beginning Tuesday, October 20, city residents can fill sandbags at no charge at the seasonal self service station in Depot Park, at 270 First Street West, the City of Sonoma says in its winter weather advisory. It is self service, so bring a shovel. The city is opening it earlier than usual this year, it says, so households have time to get ready before the first storms arrive rather than after.
Empty bags are free too. Once the station opens, City Hall will hand out empty sandbags to city residents during normal business hours, with a limit of 10 per resident while supplies last, according to the city. One group is urged to go first: owners of properties that have flooded in the past, who are encouraged to build their bags now, while no rain is in the forecast.
Why the early start
The early opening is a hedge against the forecast. The city says current outlooks point to the potential for a strong El Nino this winter, while stressing that El Nino does not guarantee flooding or severe storms in Sonoma. Sacramento has already acted on the same outlook. On September 21, the governor proclaimed a state of emergency across California over the developing 2026-27 El Nino event, pointing to a federal Climate Prediction Center forecast of a greater than 90 percent chance of a very strong event this fall and winter, and a 69 percent chance that it reaches historic strength sometime from October through December.
The proclamation tells the state Office of Emergency Services to coordinate preparedness work with local and tribal governments, and directs the Department of Water Resources to stage flood fighting supplies ahead of the storms, sandbags among them. At the local end of that chain, the city says its staff are reviewing winter storm procedures and coordinating with partner agencies, and that it will keep posting winter information and weather updates as conditions warrant.
The county town hall is Wednesday evening
Residents who want the countywide picture can get it the following night without leaving home. Sonoma County Emergency Management hosts Sonoma Winter Ready 2026, a virtual town hall on Wednesday, October 21, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Zoom, with interpretation in Spanish available. The program runs from household preparedness to evacuation and road safety, local hazards and mitigation, and registration is at bit.ly/SonomaWinterReady2026, according to the city.
One chore while the streets are dry
The city also asks for one small job now, before the gutters fill: keep fall leaves and yard debris out of the street, where they collect at storm drains and can block drainage when heavy rain arrives. Collect them instead of blowing or sweeping them into the street. If leaves pile up at a drain next to your property, the city says clearing them is fine when it is safe to do so, and never when water is moving fast or conditions are unsafe.
The rest of the advice will sound familiar to anyone who packed a go bag for fire season, because the city says the same kit carries through winter: emergency supplies, backup light and a way to charge a phone, medications, and a household plan for staying in touch. The city points residents to its Emergency Preparedness page to sign up for alerts and find checklists. Fall, in other words, is for checking the supplies while the sky is still blue.
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