A flood advisory was issued for Santa Barbara County early Wednesday as an overnight storm was drenching much of the county with more than an inch of rain.

At just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service said Doppler radar was tracking a broad band of moderate to locally heavy rain across much of Santa Barbara County. Nearly 1½ inches of rain had been recorded across the South Coast and the Santa Ynez Mountains since the storm’s arrival late Tuesday.

The weather service said a flood advisory would be in effect until 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. Officials said localized flooding is possible at intersections and in low-lying areas, and motorists were cautioned to be alert for ponding of water on roadways.

Showers are forecast to linger through Wednesday morning before the skies are expected to clear. The weather service said Wednesday afternoon should be partly sunny, with high temperatures in the upper 50s and west northwest wind of 5 to 15 mph.

Thursday should be mostly sunny and breezy, with 15 to 20 mph winds gusting as high as 25 mph. Daytime high temperatures are expected to be near 60.

The weather service said a second storm is likely to hit the Central Coast late Thursday or early Friday. Gusty winds are expected below canyons and passes and snow levels could drop to as low as 4,000 feet in the backcountry.

» 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.