A flash-flood watch remains in effect for the Jesusita Fire burn area through Saturday night, but Friday’s onslaught of stormy weather appeared to be less than feared in Santa Barbara County. Saturday should see just a smattering of scattered showers.
According to the county Public Works Department, the storm dumped 3.02 inches of rain on Celite south of Lompoc, 2.75 inches at Alisal Reservoir in the Santa Ynez Valley, 2.32 inches on the Gaviota coast, 1.92 inches at Refugio Pass, 1.69 inches at Tecolote Canyon west of Goleta, 1.51 inches at El Deseo Ranch off Camino Cielo above Montecito, 1.37 inches in Goleta and an inch in downtown Santa Barbara.
The rainfall totals matched up with National Weather Service forecasts of 1 to 3 inches, but as of early Saturday there were few reports of storm-related damage and very little flooding. Scattered, minor power outages were reported on the South Coast on Friday as blustery winds blew through the area. Flooding briefly affected Highway 101 on the Gaviota coast Friday afternoon.
Weather officials said a flash-flood watch will remain through Saturday night for the burn areas of the Jesusita and La Brea fires. A winter storm warning is in effect until 3 a.m. Sunday, and the weather service said snow accumulations of 12 to 18 inches are expected at elevations of about 5,500 feet, and 4 to 8 inches between 4,000 and 5,500 feet.
Saturday is expected to be partly sunny with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible through Saturday night. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall, the weather service said. High temperatures Saturday should be in the mid-50s, with west wind around 10 mph and gusts as high as 15 mph.
The forecast for Sunday through Wednesday is for mostly sunny conditions with high temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s. By midweek, a chance of showers is expected to return.
High surf and strong rip currents are forecast for west-facing beaches, and gale-force conditions are expected in the outer Santa Barbara Channel. The weather service said the storm could produce waterspouts and small isolated tornadoes, as well.
Click here for the complete National Weather Service forecast.
Click here for the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department’s interactive precipitation map.
— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.
