This story was most recently updated at 8:35 a.m. Tuesday.
With a powerful storm expected to hit the South Coast on Tuesday, Santa Barbara County officials have issued an evacuation order for people living in areas that could be threatened by flooding and debris flows.
The evacuation order, which will affect several thousand residents, will take effect at 10 a.m. Tuesday, and applies to areas of debris-flow risk below the Sherpa, Whittier and Thomas fire burn areas.
An interactive map showing the evacuation order areas is posted on the county’s ReadySBC.org website.
Residents in areas adjacent to evacuation zones will be allowed to come and go as needed, according to Kelly Hoover, a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman. However, if access to those neighborhoods requires travel through evacuation zones, that will not be allowed, she added.
Highway 101 will remain open while evacuations are in effect, and will only be closed “if public safety is threatened,” according to CHP Capt. Cindy Pontes.
Forecasters are expecting the heaviest rainfall between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with another strong storm coming through the region late Wednesday night.
Monday’s storm delivered less rain than expected to the county, but the weather system coming in Tuesday could make up for it, according to the National Weather Service.
The low-pressure system associated with Monday’s storm drifted farther south than expected, resulting in most of the rain falling farther east, said Kathy Hoxsie, a meteorologist with the National Weather System in Oxnard.
At the same time, that shift resulted in gusty conditions that brought down trees and utility lines throughout the South Coast, resulting in numerous power outages.
The forecast is calling for the brunt of Tuesday’s storm to be aimed at “a bulls-eye over the Thomas Fire burn area, roughly the Santa Barbara-Ventura County line,” Hoxsie said.
During that time, “we’ll have a wide swath of 1-inch rainfall across southern Santa Barbara County,” she added. “It’s going to be very wet midday tomorrow.”
Forecasters predicted rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches for the South Coast, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, with up to 4.5 inches in south-facing mountains. Northern Santa Barbara County was expected to get a little less rain, up to 1.5 inches total.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch, which went into effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday and extends untl 9 p.m.
During that period, heavy rain is expected, and peak hourly rainfall rates could reach 0.75 inches to 1.25 inches per hour, forecasters said.
Roadway flooding is likely, and rockslides and mudslides below steep terrain could result in road closures.
Another weather system is forecast to move through the region late Wednesday night and Thursday, Hoxsie said, with the potential for another 2 inches of rain during a 12-hour period beginning around midnight.
Conditions are expected to turn dry on Friday and through the weekend.
County officials are urging those affected by the evacuation orders not to wait until the last minute to leave.
“While the evacuation order is for tomorrow morning, now is the time to gather family members, pets, and essential items, so that you can evacuate no later than 10 a.m.,” the county said in an Aware & Prepare alert issued at 4:44 p.m. Monday.
“In the event of a significant debris flow, people living adjacent to the evacuation order areas, particularly in Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria, could become stranded if roads become damaged or impassible. Residents in these adjacent areas should be prepared for this possibility and consider leaving the area during the evacuation.”
The debris-flow thresholds are 1 inch per hour for the Sherpa and Whittier burn areas, and 0.8 inches per hour for the Thomas burn area.
“This storm has the potential to produce debris flows,” Rob Lewin, director of the county’s Office of Emergency Management, told Noozhawk. “The forecast doesn’t indicate the ferocity of last year’s Jan. 9 event, but it certainly could produce damaging and life-threatening debris flows.
“People need to evacuate.”
Local emergency agencies are up-staffing, and equipment is being pre-positioned in advance of the storm, according to Kevin Taylor, operations division chief for the Montecito Fire Protection District.
The Santa Barbara city and county fire departments are bringing in extra personnel, as are the Montecito department and the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District.
Local law-enforcement agencies, including the Sheriff’s Department, the Santa Barbara Police Department and the California Highway Patrol, are similarly boosting their staffing levels.
Two strike teams of engines from other fire departments in the county will be deployed ahead of the storm, along with two strike teams of heavy equipment, Taylor said, adding that a county helicopter will be positioned at the Santa Barbara Airport and a Type 3 incident managment team will be activated.
That will occur by 8 a.m. Tuesday.
High-water vehicles and personnel from the National Guard will be called in as needed if an incident develops, Taylor said.
Click here for information on evacuation centers for impacted residents and animals, Tuesday school closures and other emergency resources.
Santa Barbara County opened an emergency call center which can be reached at 833.688.5551.
Click here for the latest Santa Barbara forecast from the National Weather Service.
Click here for Santa Barbara County real-time rainfall totals.
Sign up for Aware & Prepare emergency alerts here, or through the ReadySBC.org website.
— 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.
