Close the Lid™ Seasonal Education Center
El Niño Ready.
A complete wet-weather education library for employees, retailers, restaurants, property managers, cities, sponsors, and community supporters. Sixteen approved campaign resources are now organized into eight practical learning guides.
Strong El Niño odds. No guarantees.
NOAA currently says El Niño is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event during fall and winter 2026–27. NOAA’s seasonal precipitation outlook also increases the odds of wetter-than-normal conditions across California later in the season, reaching roughly 50–60% near parts of the coast. These are seasonal probabilities, not site-specific storm forecasts.
Sources: NOAA ENSO Diagnostic Discussion and NOAA Seasonal Outlook Discussion. Forecast information changes; keep this fact box dated.
Five things before the rain.
The Storm Season Education Library.
Each guide combines two related campaign resources into a useful, shareable page with a built-in Print / Save as PDF option. That keeps the education searchable, mobile-friendly, and easy to hand out.
What Is El Niño? + 2026–27 Outlook
Understand the climate pattern, the current NOAA outlook, and the difference between seasonal probability and a guaranteed local impact.- What Is El Niño?
- The 2026–27 Outlook
Rain Adds Up Fast + How Much Rain?
See how inches of rain turn into gallons across pavement and why seasonal outlooks should not be treated as exact site forecasts.- Rain Adds Up Fast
- How Much Rain Could We Get?
Wet Cardboard + What Rain Does to Waste
Practical guidance on keeping cardboard dry, reducing loose material, and preventing storm-day messes around outdoor waste areas.- Wet Cardboard Is a Mess
- What Does Rain Do to Waste?
Open Lid + Rain + Where Runoff Goes
Walk the actual drainage pathway from container to pavement to gutter or inlet, and understand why closed lids are such a simple prevention habit.- Open Lid + Rain
- Rain Doesn’t Disappear
5 Actions Before the Storm + Employee Poster
A simple employee-ready checklist that managers can print, post, and repeat before wet weather.- 5 Actions Before the Storm
- Employee Breakroom Poster
Retail El Niño Ready + Free Store Kit
A back-of-house routine for retail, grocery, club, warehouse, restaurant, and other high-volume waste locations.- One Store. Hundreds of Decisions.
- Free El Niño Ready Store Kit
Restaurant + Property Manager Guides
Two operations-focused guides for recurring wet-weather issues: food waste, cardboard, leaks, service capacity, tenant communication, and shared enclosure management.- Restaurant Wet-Weather Quick Guide
- Property Manager Rain Check
Municipal Outreach + Sponsor a Site
Public-education topics for cities and a clear sponsor framework focused on real nonprofit education and participation—not regulatory promises.- Municipal Outreach Kit
- Sponsor a Site — El Niño Ready