Jon Frye, a flood control engineering manager with the Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, gave an update on El Niño last week and said the region is still expecting above-average rainfall this winter.
Frye delivered a presentation to Santa Barbara County EPIC (Emergency Public Information Communicators) and used National Weather Service graphics to show the expected weather patterns for the next few months due to El Niño.
Scroll down to read the documents presented to EPIC.
Past events brought high rainfall and flooding to the region, so local officials have urged residents to get prepared by gathering sandbags, making emergency plans and keeping up-to-date on the weather.
As of Friday, the county was at 70 percent of normal rainfall for the season, which starts in the fall.
Click here to track real-time rainfall from the county Public Works Department.
Every reservoir in the county is below 15-percent capacity, most notably the 14.8-percent-full Lake Cachuma, which supplies the South Coast and Santa Ynez River areas with water.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
EPIC Water Resources Presentation