A cold, wet storm dumped more than an inch of rain along much of Santa Barbara County’s South Coast on Sunday, with Goleta topping 2 inches. Skies had begun to clear by Sunday night as the storm moved out.
Although Santa Barbara, the Mission Canyon area and Montecito spent much of Sunday morning under a National Weather Service flood advisory, authorities reported few problems.
By midafternoon Sunday, the frontal system had moved to the southeast but scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms remained in the forecast through Sunday evening. Weather officials warned that the region could experience periods of intense heavy rainfall and gusty south winds as high as 20 mph, and said waterspouts were possible in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Sunday’s high temperatures only reached the 50s, with lows in the 40s forecast for Sunday night.
Sunny skies and daytime temperatures in the low 60s are expected Monday.
More rain along the Central Coast is in the forecast for Wednesday night and Thanksgiving Day, according to the weather service.
Snow levels from Sunday’s storm are likely to be near 5,000 feet but could drop as low as 4,000 feet in the Santa Barbara County backcountry. Authorities said the snow could have an impact on Interstate 5 across the Grapevine north of Los Angeles, which may mean heavier traffic on Highway 101 through Santa Barbara as motorists seek alternate routes.
As of 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the county Public Works Department had recorded 2.46 inches at Rancho San Julian, 2.19 inches at Alisal Reservoir in the Santa Ynez Valley, 2.11 inches in Goleta, 2.03 at Refugio Pass, 1.97 inches in Buellton, 1.89 inches at San Marcos Pass, 1.84 inches in Tecolote Canyon above Goleta, 1.47 inches at Dos Pueblos Ranch, 1.42 at Mount Calvary, 1.13 inches in downtown Santa Barbara, 1 inch at Montecito Water District headquarters and .75 inches in Carpinteria.
» Click here for the complete National Weather Service forecast.
» Click here for the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department’s interactive precipitation map.
» Click here for the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services. Click here to sign up for the OES’ messaging service. Connect with the OES on Facebook.
— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.