The Santa Barbara Airport closed for several hours Thursday morning due to flooded runways after the area received more than 4 inches of rain in this week’s winter storm.
Airport officials said the airport started experiencing flooding on Wednesday, but had to temporarily close Thursday, around 1:15 a.m., because of flooding on the airfield.
All commercial flights and fixed-wing aircraft were grounded and the airport remained closed for several hours before reopening around 9:30 a.m.
“SBA has a crew out there that’s been working all night to clean up the runways, and they are making great progress,” spokesperson Lauren Gonzales said earlier.
Several flight arrivals and departures had been canceled or delayed during the closure. When it reopened, all flights were cleared to resume normal operations, airport officials said.
Travelers should check directly with their airlines for flight status updates, they added.
Southern Santa Barbara County has received huge amounts of rain since Tuesday night as a storm hammers the region.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Carpinteria and Summerland overnight, which ended at 6 a.m. on Thursday.
It warned people to stay indoors and move to higher ground (such as a second floor or interior room of their home). The agency issued several more for western Ventura County communities overnight.
Widespread roadway flooding was reported from the rain, but no major incidents occurred as of late Wednesday night.
Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said the Goleta area had nine storm-related calls between 7:45 and 8:15 p.m., including minor flooding and fire alarms. No major damage was reported, he said.
There was roadway flooding on Hollister Avenue near the airport at that point, he added.
Weather and emergency agency officials advised people to avoid traveling as much as possible while it’s raining hard. If people have to drive, slow down and allow extra stopping distance, Safechuck said.
Thursday’s forecast calls for a 100% chance of showers, with another three-quarters to 1 inch of rain possible, with a similar amount overnight into Friday.
Click here for the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.