Storm flooding hinders drivers in Old Town Goleta on Saturday at Fairview and Hollister avenues. Many local roads were flooded during heavy rains, and some highways and mountain roads were closed for mudslides and rockfalls.
Storm flooding hinders drivers in Old Town Goleta on Saturday at Fairview and Hollister avenues. Many local roads were flooded during heavy rains, and some highways and mountain roads were closed for mudslides and rockfalls. Credit: Ryan Cullom / Noozhawk photo

Santa Barbara is experiencing the wettest start to a water year on record, and the entire county has reached 106% of its normal annual rainfall. 

The city of Santa Barbara has received more rain since September than it typically gets in an entire year: 21.84 inches as of Monday, when the average is 18.5 inches. 

So, how much rain did we get? 

Santa Barbara, Goleta and Solvang all have had more than 10 inches of rain in the past two weeks, and other communities have impressive totals as well.

The Santa Ynez Mountains and other west-east-oriented ranges received the most rain in southwest California during the latest storms, according to monitoring data. 

“The transverse ranges across Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara (counties) are the winners here,” the National Weather Service said about 14-day rainfall totals. 

A Ventura County rainfall monitoring map shows 14-day totals for Santa Barbara County areas, including 'impressive' amounts in the Santa Ynez Mountains and South Coast, the National Weather Service said.
A Ventura County rainfall monitoring map shows 14-day totals for Santa Barbara County areas, including ‘impressive’ amounts in the Santa Ynez Mountains and South Coast, the National Weather Service said. Credit: VC Watershed photo via National Weather Service

Wet Winter Weather 

The region has had three big winter storms already, including back-to-back systems the week of Christmas and the week of New Year’s Day. 

The Santa Barbara Airport and a section of Highway 101 west of Goleta were closed Saturday because of heavy rains and flooding, but reopened Sunday.

Surging local creeks and rivers turned deadly when a man was swept down Maria Ygnacio Creek in the Goleta Valley on Saturday. Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue crews and other responders searched for about two hours before finding the man deceased downstream. 

Santa Barbara County should get a break in the rain this week, with a forecast for sunny skies starting Wednesday.

Noozhawk executive editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.