Don’t put the umbrellas away just yet.

More rain might hit Santa Barbara County starting Thursday, potentially dropping up to 1.5 inches, according to the National Weather Service. 

Another storm that originated up north is making its way down south and could hit the county, according to Bryan Lewis, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

The NWS predicts an 80% chance of rain to hit the county Thursday morning all the way through Friday morning. The forecast also shows up to a 20% chance of thunderstorms beginning Thursday evening and into the night.

There is a chance of rain Friday that dwindles to a 20% chance by the afternoon, according to the NWS.

“It definitely doesn’t look quite as intense as the last rain storm, that’s for sure,” Lewis said.

While only 0.25 inches to 1 inch of rain is predicted for coasts and valley areas, the mountains and foothills could see 1.5 inches. 

“There is a chance of doubling these amounts and it is dependent on the track of this storm system and we have lower confidence with this kind of system,” Lewis said.

He also says there is not much concern for the burn scars in the county as much of the rain is predicted to hit Los Angeles County. 

The NWS is predicting minor impacts such as road flooding, enhanced rock slides and mudslides, wet roads and traffic delays. 

Lewis warns residents to be aware of already-full creeks and overly saturated soil from previous rainfall that could create minor flooding with the upcoming storm. 

The local forecast is for sunny skies for the weekend and into early next week, according to the NWS.

For the coming storm, Freedom Warming Centers of Santa Barbara are opening public centers for the homeless community to stay out of forecasted wet and cold weather.

Centers will open up on Thursday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in response to the weather forecast. Locations include:

• Santa Barbara: Trinity Episcopal Church at 1500 State St.
• Santa Maria: Atkinson Center at 1000 N Railroad 
• Lompoc: 333 North 2nd Street

High Surf Advisory

There is a high surf advisory in effect for Lompoc areas from Thursday until Sunday since 12-to-16-foot waves and rip currents are expected, according to Lewis.

He warns residents to stay away from the beaches.

“There’s a low but still relevant chance of some minor tidal overflows and some unusual beach erosion,” Lewis said.

A 7-year-old girl died after being swept out to sea by a 15-to-20-foot wave along the Big Sur coast last week, and her father died trying to rescue her, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.

Record-Breaking Soaking for South County

This next potential rain comes after the county already went through a record-breaking storm that flooded roads and knocked down trees.

It has been the wettest November on record for Santa Barbara.

In Goleta, about 16 large branches or full trees fell due to the ground being oversaturated, making the trees top heavy, according to Autumn Glaeser, assistant public works director, in Tuesday’s City Council meeting. 

She warned there might be additional tree falls with rain hitting the already soaked ground.