Southern Santa Barbara County woke up to a light dusting of snow on the mountains Thursday morning and a flurry of winter weather warnings for the days to come.
Caltrans closed Highway 154 for about two hours Thursday afternoon due to snow, and reopened it around 2:45 p.m.
Some vehicles got stranded on the roadway while Caltrans mobilized plows to clear the roadway, according to Santa Barbara County Fire spokesman Mike Eliason, who captured photos of the snowy summit.
Caltrans also used sander trucks to give the icy roadway more traction.
Flood watches are in effect throughout Santa Barbara County from 4 a.m. Friday through 6 p.m. Saturday as rain and strong winds continue moving into the area.
According to the National Weather Service, these flood watches will be in effect for the interior mountains and Santa Ynez Mountains, as well as coastal areas from Point Conception through Carpinteria.
National Weather Service meteorologist Lisa Phillips said that chances of precipitation increase Thursday night into Friday and widespread heavy rain could bring 2 to 5 inches of rain throughout the county on Friday and Saturday, with lower amounts along the coast.
Southern Santa Barbara County could see rainfall rates of 0.25 inches to 0.75 inches per hour, which can cause significant road flooding.
Check FEMA Flood Hazard maps here to see if you live or work in a flood-prone area.
Phillips also said there is a chance of thunderstorms with some small hail, and winds will be in the 30-50 miles per hour range.
Click through the photo slideshow of images below showing Thursday’s storm impacts in Santa Barbara County.
Snow on the mountains as seen from Foxen Canyon Road in the Santa Ynez Valley Thursday morning. Credit: California Wine Guys photo 
A light dusting of snow on the Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara Thursday morning after a cold overnight storm. Credit: Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo 
Highway 154 was closed Thursday afternoon due to snow, and several drivers were stranded on the pass while Caltrans mobilized plows. Credit: Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo 
A light dusting of snow on the Santa Ynez Mountains and Painted Cave community above Santa Barbara Thursday morning after a cold overnight storm. Credit: Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo 
Caltrans closed Highway 154 due to snow Thursday afternoon, with no estimate of reopening. Credit: Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo 
Highway 154 was closed Thursday afternoon due to snow, and several drivers were stranded on the pass while Caltrans mobilized plows. Credit: Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo 
Highway 154 was closed Thursday afternoon due to snow. Credit: Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo 
Snow on the mountains as seen from Foxen Canyon Road in the Santa Ynez Valley Thursday morning. Credit: California Wine Guys photo 
Snow on the mountains as seen from Foxen Canyon Road in the Santa Ynez Valley Thursday morning. Credit: California Wine Guys photo 
Snow on the mountains as seen from Foxen Canyon Road in the Santa Ynez Valley Thursday morning. Credit: California Wine Guys photo 
Snow on the mountains as seen from Foxen Canyon Road in the Santa Ynez Valley Thursday morning. Credit: California Wine Guys photo 
A car in the Santa Ynez Mountains gets covered in snow after a cold overnight storm. Credit: Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo 
A squirrel checks out the snow in the Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara Thursday morning. Credit: Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo 
Santa Ynez Peak gets covered in snow, as seen Thursday morning from a HPWREN camera. Credit: HPWREN photo 
Snow covers the roadway on Highway 154 Thursday afternoon, causing Caltrans to temporarily close it between Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. Credit: Caltrans photo
A blizzard warning is also in effect for the mountains from 4 a.m. Friday through 4 p.m. Saturday, with winds up to 60 to 75 miles per hour and 2 to 4 inches of snow per hour at 2,000 feet on Thursday.
On Friday the snow level will go up to 4,000 feet, and then down to 2,000 to 3,000 feet on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Phillips said there could be snow accumulation of 2 to 5 feet in mountains above 4,000 feet, and lower elevations at 2,500 to 4,000 feet could see snow accumulation of 6 to 12 inches.
Because of the heavy snow and near-zero visibility the blizzard warning could bring, Phillips said she wouldn’t advise anyone to go up into the mountains at this time as potential long-term road closures could cause people to become stranded.
“It is dangerous, especially for people not used to driving in winter conditions,” Phillips said.
The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management said that the lower snow levels could potentially impact Highway 154 and Highway 166, and the lowest snow levels in the county are forecast to be about 1,500 feet for interior mountains.
More information on these winter weather conditions and precautions can be found on the Office of Emergency Management’s website here.
Phillips said that there are chances of rain through Sunday morning and another storm is on the horizon coming in Monday through Wednesday.
During the storm, Freedom Warming Centers will be open throughout the county from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Saturday.
Locations include the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, located at 1535 Santa Barbara Street; Carpinteria Community Church at 1111 Vallecito Road; Cornerstone Church of the Nazarene, located at 1026 Sierra Madre Avenue in Santa Maria; and Peace Lutheran, located at 1000 West Ocean Avenue in Lompoc.
The Warming Center hotline is 805.324.2372.
Click here for the latest Santa Barbara weather forecast.
Click here for the latest Santa Ynez Valley weather forecast.