Dodger Stadium didn't flood — here's what you're looking at

The viral video is making the rounds after Hurricane Rachel, but it actually shows empty parking lots, not water.

5 days ago

Updated: October 12, 2026, 12:36 pm EDTPublished: October 12, 2026, 12:30 pm EDT

Aerial view of a baseball stadium surrounded by extensive empty parking lots and sparse trees — Aerial view of Dodger Stadium
(Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Did Dodger Stadium flood? A viral video might make you think so, but the answer is no.

What looks like a massive pool of water surrounding the stadium is actually a series of empty parking lots creating an optical illusion.

The misleading video is making the rounds online again, just as it did during Tropical Storm Hilary in 2023.

Debunking the illusion

From above, the dark pavement can look remarkably like floodwater, especially when the stadium's parking areas blend together from certain angles.

Cloudy skies in the video make the illusion even more convincing. Without direct sunlight, the parking lots can look darker from above.

(MORE: Giant waves crash into Long Beach, California homes)

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That reduces the contrast between the pavement and surrounding surfaces, making the lots appear more like a reflective sheet of water.

The stadium's elevation is another clue. Dodger Stadium sits about 250 feet higher than downtown Los Angeles. If water were backing up around the stadium to the extent the video suggests, flooding across much of downtown would be a major concern, too.

Aerial view of a baseball stadium with empty parking lots and the downtown Los Angeles skyline in the background — An aerial view of Dodger Stadium the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers with the downtown Los Angeles city skyline in the background.
(Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Also important to note: The Dodgers are playing in Milwaukee until Wednesday, so the team isn't being impacted by any flooding, real or imagined.

Flooding elsewhere

The reason the rumor is once again catching on is because parts of the West really are dealing with flooding concerns right now.

(MORE: Rachel's remnants turn Las Vegas streets into rivers)

Post-tropical cyclone Rachel has brought heavy rain to parts of the region, raising the risk of flash flooding in some areas. That doesn't mean the viral stadium video is real, though.

Senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman notes downtown Los Angeles only received about 0.2 inches of rain last weekend from Rachel's remnants. Any flash flooding from heavier rainfall was largely confined to the Mojave Desert.

So while the storm has caused real weather impacts, the supposed flooding at Dodger Stadium isn't one of them.

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