It's kind of hard to think about winter right now as the city is SWELTERING. But we must.

We've gotten plenty of mixed messages when it comes to this coming "Godzilla El Niño" and how much rain we'll actually get. But chances are decent that like the winter of '97/'98 we'll be getting a deluge — it might even be worse/better than that, in terms of more sheer rain — and San Francisco city agencies are bracing for transit woes, delayed projects, and potentially flooding and other problems.

As Rec and Parks director Phil Ginsburg tells the Chron, "We’re actually pretty excited about the rain because we really need it. The issue is if we get a lot of rain really fast, and there is a lot of runoff. It can result in erosion, tree failures and some flooding."

You all remember last December's #Rainpocalypse, right? What if we had like five of those in a month?

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is doing hydrologic modeling of low-lying areas around town where water naturally flows, and will try to beef up storm sewers in those areas as much as they can. Also, if you're worried and live in one of these areas, you can pick up ten free sandbags from the Department of Public Works, and apply to the PUC's Floodwater Grant Program to make improvements to your home.

Muni says they're preparing by clearing drainage systems, but it is worrisome that that one big storm last year managed to cripple the system and close several stations. And power outages are pretty much beyond everyone's control.

Apparently the renovations on the southern end of Dolores Park are not expected to be impacted by the rains — and hopefully they'll be near complete by the end of the year? But Rec & Parks has almost two dozen other projects, including park renovations at Mountain Lake and South Park, which will likely get delayed.

Meanwhile, similar preparations are happening across the state, including in Orange County, where forecasters predict even more rain may fall than up in Northern California — which would suck because all the reservoirs are up here.

Previously: Historic Confluence Of Three Category-4 Pacific Hurricanes Could Spell Trouble
'Godzilla El Niño' Now Being Called 'Strongest In Recorded History'