Runoff from Thursday’s storm swells San Pedro Creek in Goleta. No major problems were reported as steady rain was continuing to fall across Santa Barbara County. 
Stormy surf at the Goleta Pier during Thursday’s downpours. 
Traffic on Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley was backed up after a collision east of Lake Cachuma caused the roadway to be shut down for a time in both directions. 
Storm-swollen Mission Creek flows toward the ocean in Santa Barbara on Thursday. 
Holiday lights are reflected in the wet pavement Wednesday night as a man waits for the green light at the corner of Carrillo and Chapala streets in downtown Santa Barbara. Steady rain was continuing to fall across Santa Barbara County on Thursday from the second major storm to drench the region this season. 
Water flowing in the Upper Santa Ynez River during Thursday storm. 
Motorists navigate the wet roadway on Hollister Avenue in Goleta during Thursday’s storm. 
Storm runoff swells a creek running through the Baron Ranch along the Gaviota Coast. 
Highway 101 traffic was detoured in San Luis Obispo on Thursday after a clogged drain caused flooding at Santa Rosa Street. The highway was closed in both directions st 1:30 p.m. and a sig alert was issued. 
Storm runoff races down Rattlesnake Creek near Mission Canyon above Santa Barbara. 
Jose Preciado and his dog, Maximilian, walk in a steady downpour off San Simeon Drive near Goleta. 
A tree toppled into a utility park Thursday near Oak Park in Santa Barbara. 
Street flooding in the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara on Thursday. 
High surf batters some steps to the beach in Isla Vista on Thursday. 
Storm runoff partially fills the Cold Spring Debris Basin in Montecito on Thursday.
Steady rain fell across Santa Barbara County on Thursday from the second major storm to drench the region this season.
By 9 p.m., no significant problems were reported from the storm that moved into the area on Wednesday, part of a wet-weather pattern expected to last through Christmas and into early next week.
However, numerous vehicle crashes were reported as motorists navigated slick roadways.
Rainfall totals ranged from 4.6 inches on San Marcos Pass in the mountains above Santa Barbara to a little more than half an inch in normally arid Cuyama in the county’s northeast corner.
Many areas received about 2 inches, and several locations recorded 3-4 inches, according to the county Public Works Department.
Rainfall, heavy at times, continued into the evening, according to the National Weather Service.
“Rainfall rates expected to increase to 0.33 and 0.75 inches per hour across San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara counties through early afternoon, with locally higher rates possible,” according to a NWS tweet at about 11 a.m. “Shallow mud and debris flows will be possible in #Alisal burn scar.”
Friday morning also should be showery before 11 a.m., with gradual clearing in the afternoon.
A Flood Advisory was issued shortly before 11 a.m., warning of urban and small stream flooding throughout the county, including in the Alisal burn area.
Highway 1 was closed from Solomon Road to Black Road near Orcutt due to flooding, according to Caltrans. There was no estimate for re-opening.
Highway 246 was closed in both directions from Sweeney Road to Mission Gate Road near Lompoc at about 2 p.m. due to rain-related flooding. It was reopened to local traffic at about 6:20 p.m.
In San Luis Obispo County, Highway 101 traffic was detoured on Thursday after a clogged drain caused flooding at Santa Rosa Street.
The highway was closed in both directions sat 1:30 p.m., causing major traffic backups, and a SigAlert was issued.
The northbound lanes were reopened at about 4:45 p.m., and the southbound lanes about 45 minutes later, according to Caltrans.
Rain is likely to return Christmas night, with most areas receiving a half an inch to an inch of rain, then giving way to sunny skies on Sunday, said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
We are in a wet pattern, Sirard said, with another weather system expected to move through the region Sunday night into Monday, and yet another Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Daytime highs through the period should be in the mid- to upper-50s, with overnight lows around 40.
Click here for the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
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— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
