Storm hammers Santa Barbara County with high winds, widespread flooding
It was a soggy morning Monday after Sunday’s storm hammered Santa Barbara County with hours of often-heavy rainfall and gusty winds.
National Weather Service officials kept a Flood Watch in effect through 4 p.m. Monday, but the Flash Flood Warning expired at midnight as the brunt of the storm shifted east to Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
A High Surf Advisory was in effect Monday for local beaches, with rip currents and large breaking waves expected.
Rain showers were in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday, but with much lower totals — probably less than an inch per day, according to the NWS.
The storm set a daily rainfall record of 2.39 inches at the Santa Barbara Airport, which had to close Sunday due to flooded runways. The terminal was closed until further notice and all commercial flights were canceled late Sunday and early Monday.
It was initially expected to reopen on Monday, but no details had been announced.
“The airfield experienced significant flooding due to the storm, but crews are hard at work to clean the impacted areas. Please continue checking directly with your airline for updated flight status,” airport officials said around 9:30 a.m.
Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and six others on Sunday.
Evacuations, water rescues, downed trees
On Sunday afternoon, police evacuated homes near Mission Creek in Santa Barbara, at Haley and Cota streets, as rising waters threatened homes.
There was a water rescue of a person in a vehicle in Nipomo, in southern San Luis Obispo County, and a hoist rescue in Ventura of someone from the riverbed.
An evacuation order for several South Coast communities near creeks remained in effect Monday morning due to the flooding risks from this storm.
Fallen trees damaged several homes and vehicles and caused widespread road closures due to the combination of wet ground and high winds.
Santa Barbara city officials had areas barricaded off Monday as teams evaluated storm damage.
“For your safety and ours, please respect barriers and signs indicating restricted access. Patience is crucial for a thorough assessment,” the City Fire Department said in a social media post.
A large eucalyptus tree crashed onto a building at a Goleta condominium complex early Sunday, rendering it uninhabitable and displacing four residents, but no injuries were reported.
Santa Barbara County firefighters were dispatched to the incident at The Grove complex on the 7600 block of Hollister Avenue at approximately 4:20 a.m., according to fire Capt. Scott Safechuck.
They found a 70-foot-tall tree had toppled onto a building, causing significant damage that prompted officials to place red tags on two units — one upstairs and one downstairs, Safechuck said.
Officials issue red tags when a building is deemed unsafe for occupancy due to damage or other reasons.
Four adults and a dog have been displaced from their homes due to the damage, Safechuck said.
Firefighters assisted with salvage and recovery of personal items for the displaced residents, he added.
The incident was one of several fallen tree reports received by emergency crews Sunday in Santa Barbara County.
Another occurred near Calle Real and El Sueno Road, with the tree blocking the roadway between El Sueno and Highway 154, according to emergency dispatch reports.
Winds take down power poles, trees, part of a Solvang building’s windmill
Shortly after 7 a.m., emergency crews were dispatched to a report of a fallen power pole on Highway 166 five miles east of New Cuyama, fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said.
“Strong winds across Santa Barbara County are increasing incidents related to downed trees and power lines,” Safechuck said Sunday morning.
Highway 166, which connects the Central Coast and the southern San Joaquin Valley, was closed due to the incident, one of many reported to emergency crews Sunday.
“Strong winds have arrived locally and rain is on the way,” Santa Barbara County officials warned Sunday morning. “Use caution as weather may be changing rapidly today.”
In Solvang, one arm of the windmill at the Solvang Brewing Company building had broken off, likely falling victim to the especially windy conditions.
The highest wind reports in the 24 hours ending mid-morning Sunday include 75 mph in the Purisima Hills, 69 mph on Cat Canyon Road, 78 mph at the Point Conception Lighthouse and 68 mph in the Gaviota Hills, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters said the system shifted slightly so the heaviest rain would fall in the Los Angeles area, but the danger remains for Santa Barbara County.
“Heavy rain and a high risk of dangerous flooding still exists for Ventura and southern Santa Barbara counties even with this shift,” according to the National Weather Service.
Santa Barbara County rainfall totals
Foothill and mountain areas on the South Coast received more than 4 inches of rain in the last two days, with El Deseo recording the most at 7.69 inches.
As of 8 a.m. Monday, two-day rainfall totals for local areas were:
- 1.05 inches in Santa Maria
- 3.07 inches in Lompoc
- 4.16 inches in Solvang
- 3.55 inches in Goleta
- 3.88 inches in Santa Barbara
- 2.8 inches in Montecito
- 2.23 inches in Carpinteria
Lake Cachuma was up to 97.8% capacity Monday morning as the reservoir levels came within a couple feet of spilling over Bradbury Dam. Reservoir operators have been releasing water from the lake for several days in anticipation of the storm.
Upstream on the Santa Ynez River, Santa Barbara’s Gibraltar Reservoir was completely full and so was Montecito Water District’s Jameson Reservoir, according to County Water Resources.
Santa Barbara County has received 128% of its “normal to date” rainfall.
Highway closures
There were road and highway closures countywide from overflowing rivers, landslides and fallen trees on Sunday, and some were still in effect Monday morning.
Caltrans reopened sections of Highway 1 Monday morning, District 5 officials said.
There were still full closures for a Santa Barbara-to-Montecito section of Highway 192 (from Mission Canyon Road to West Mountain Drive) because of mudslides.
Highway 135 was closed from East Clark Avenue in Orcutt to Main Street in Los Alamos because of fallen trees blocking the roadway.
This story was originally published February 5, 2024 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Storm hammers Santa Barbara County with high winds, widespread flooding."
