Contrary to popular belief, this weekend’s tropical storm did not transform Dodger Stadium into a forlorn island surrounded by floodwaters.
A tidal wave of social mediaposts drew attention on Sunday, appearing to show the stadium parking lots submerged beneath Hilary’s record-setting rainfall.
Was this a frightening scene of a landmark imperiled or just a trick of the eye?
The first tropical storm to hit Los Angeles in 84 years dumped record rainfall and turned streets into muddy, debris-swollen rivers.
It turns out a similar photograph appeared in the newspaper after a 2005 storm. There wasn’t flooding then, and there wasn’t any this time. It was an optical illusion, the interplay of water and light on a wet surface.
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A 2005 photograph shows Dodger Stadium surrounded by wet parking lots, reflecting the light of the sky.
(Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)
“Reflection of light,” said Times photographer Robert Gauthier, who captured new images on Monday. “That’s what it seems like.”
Still pictures and video of the inundated stadium drew tens of thousands of views on social media. Amid a wet, wild and historically abnormal weekend — which also included an earthquake — it isn’t surprising that people would be ready to believe anything.
After Hurricane Irene in 2011, photos began appearing online that purported to feature sharks swimming in flooded urban areas. Though the Associated Press later vouched for cellphone video of a juvenile shark thrashing around a Florida backyard during Hurricane Ian in 2022, most other “hurricane shark” images over the years have been debunked.
As for Tropical Storm Hilary turning parking lots into a sea, a Dodgers spokesman confirmed the ballpark was merely soaked, not sunk.
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When Gauthier showed up on Monday morning, he saw “a postcard day” at the stadium. And the parking lot?
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David Wharton has filled an array of roles — covering the courts, entertainment, sports and the second Persian Gulf War — since starting as a Los Angeles Times intern in 1982. His work has been honored by organizations such as the Society for Features Journalism and Associated Press Sports Editors and has been anthologized in “Best American Sports Writing.” Wharton has also been nominated for an Emmy and has written two books, including “Conquest,” an inside look at USC football during the Pete Carroll era. He left The Times in 2025.
Robert Gauthier has been with the Los Angeles Times since 1994. He was the photographer for a project detailing the failings of an L.A. public hospital that won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for public service and was part of the team that was a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography. Before The Times, Gauthier worked at the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Escondido Times-Advocate and the Bernardo News in San Diego County, his hometown.
