Clouds fill the sky during Friday’s rainstorm in Santa Barbara.
Clouds fill the sky during Friday’s rainstorm in Santa Barbara. Credit: Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo

Another round of moderate to heavy rain Tuesday is expected to boost the Central Coast’s seasonal rainfall totals but Sunday and Monday promise a brief respite.

Storm watches, warnings and advisories have been a hallmark of this winter, but the break in the inclement weather will end when the next storm arrives in Santa Barbara County on Tuesday.

The strong system, forecast to be another atmospheric river event, will bring heavy rain at times, according to the National Weather Service. More precautions are likely to be issued as the storm nears.

Peak rainfall rates during the fast-moving storm are estimated to be a quarter- to a half-inch per hour, with local rates of three-quarters of an inch per hour, especially across south-facing slopes.

Coasts and valleys could see 1½ to 3 inches of rain from the new storm system while 3 to 6 inches may fall on local mountains.

The county’s snow levels will remain rather high, however — above 5,000 feet, according to forecasters.

Despite the break in rain, a number of road closures remained in place as of Saturday, some due to flooding and others stemming from significant damage linked to earlier storms. Click here for county and other road closures.

Rain contributes to Mission Creek flows in Santa Barbara on Friday, as seen from a Pedregosa Street bridge.
Rain-swollen Mission Creek flows through Santa Barbara on Friday, as seen from the West Pedregosa Street bridge. Credit: Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo

The recent rains have added to already impressive totals in Santa Barbara County, according to the Flood Control District’s records as of Saturday morning.

Santa Barbara has seen 2.14 inches of rain from the two-day storm with a season total of 28.28 inches.

For Santa Maria, the recent storm dropped 1.33 inches for a season total of 20.32 inches.

The wettest spots include San Marcos Pass, which recorded 1.42 inches, with 61.01 inches for the year while Gibraltar Dam had 1.65 inches and 50.81 inches, respectively, and Figueroa Mountain 2.39 inches and 33.82 inches.

Other recent storm and seasonal rainfall total are Buellton, 0.54 (24.09); Carpinteria, 1.999 (21.59); Goleta, 2.26 (22.58); Santa Ynez, 1.41 (27.72); Lompoc, 1.07 (28.10); and Los Alamos 1.75 (27.17).

Local reservoirs, including Gibraltar, Cachuma and Jameson, also remain at or just below capacity.

Twitchell Reservoir, east of Santa Maria, stood at 57% of capacity as of Saturday morning.

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.