A torrent of water cascades across Alameda Padre Serra in Santa Barbara Friday night as a powerful winter storm continued to soak the area. 
Two Italian stone pines fell on Anapamu Street during Friday’s storm. 
Two Italian stone pine trees fell on Anapamu Street Friday and some residents sheltered in place until power was shut off to downed lines. 
Mission Creek flows near the Santa Barbara train station. 
Goleta is hit by flooding Friday at the intersection of Hollister and Fairview avenues. 
Refugio Creek races to the ocean during Friday’s storm. 
The intersection of Cliff Drive and Las Positas Road in Santa Barbara was closed after debris covered the roadway Friday morning. 
Flooding was occurring on Stevens Road, near the Municipal Golf Course in Santa Barbara. 
A car plows through a flooded area at Apple Grove Lane and Calle Real in Santa Barbara. 
A tree crashed into a carport in the Ellwood area of Goleta on Friday, as a major winter storm slammed into the region. 
A vehicle negotiates street flooding at Mission and Chapala streets in downtown Santa Barbara. 
Loma Alta Drive in Santa Barbara was closed due to mud and rock slides. 
Highway 154 is closed between Solvang and Santa Barbara. 
There were no injuries after a eucalyptus tree fell on a carport in Goleta Friday. 
One person was injured in an accident Friday on Highwway 101 at Cabrillo Boulevard. 
Two big-rigs were disabled when they collided with a tree that fell across Highway 101 near Buellton. 
A tree blocks the roadway at Princeton Avenue and Somerset Drive in Goleta. 
Refugio Canyon Road was impassible Friday as the creek was flooding the roadway in several locations. 
A pickup truck makes its way up Refugio Canyon Road on Friday. Much of the area was impassible as the creek was flooding the roadway in several locations. 
Rain-swollen El Capitan Creek just north of Highway 101. 
Las Flores Creek just north of Highway 101. 
A tree falls on the railroad tracks near Castilian Drive in Goleta. 
Fire crews help drivers get out of cars on the flooded Old Coast Highway Friday afternoon. 
A sailboat washed up on Butterfly Beach during Friday’s storm. 
Cold Spring Creek roars down the canyon in Montecito 
Cold Spring Creek roars down the canyon in Montecito 
A muddy Arroyo Burro Creek pours into the ocean. 
A tree crashed on to a vehicle at the Chick-Fil-A restaurant on State Street in Santa Barbara. 
Several eucalyptus trees came down across the western end of Hollister Avenue, leading to the Bacara Resort and Spa. 
A man and his dog are helped to safety crossing the creek at Arroyo Burro Beach in Santa Barbara. 
A rock and mud slide on Arboledo Road in Santa Barbara Friday night.
Emergency officials were breathing a weary sigh of relief Friday night as Santa Barbara County began wringing out from one of the most powerful and productive winter storms to hit the region in several years.
Despite numerous challenges that kept emergency responders hopping throughout the day, there were no major problems reported from the storm that dropped more than 8 inches of rain in some locations.
At the same time, water officials were happily watching drought-depleted Lake Cachuma rise as much as two feet per hour as runoff water streamed out of the saturated back country and into the reservoir that is a major water supply for the county’s South Coast communities.
“We had a busy day,” Rob Lewin, the county’s director of emergency management, told Noozhawk with understatement Friday evening. “From an emergency management standpoint, we hit all the buttons.”
While acknowledging a slew of problems challenging emergency officials throughout the day, Lewin was relieved there were no fatalities or serious injuries directly related to the storm.
Meanwhile, Tom Fayram, the county’s deputy director of Water Resources, was eagerly tracking Lake Cachuma’s water level.
“We got a lot of rain,” Fayram said. “We’re definitely going to have a lot of water in the lake by the time this is done.”
As of 9:00 a.m. Saturday, Cachuma had risen nearly 23 feet since midnight Thursday, and had moved up to 32.8 percent full.
That exceeded Fayram’s cautious prediction the storm could eventually raise Cachuma’s level by as much as 20 feet, and push it over 30 percent of capacity.
Despite that welcome news, the county did not come through unscathed from the weather system, which spawned widespread flooding, downed trees, evacuation warnings and vehicle accidents.
Beginning early in the day, steady rainfall — heavy at times — fell across the county, with many areas receiving 4-6 inches of precipitation, the product of a low-pressure system meeting up with an “atmospheric river” of moist air.
Roadway flooding, downed trees and utility lines were reported throughout the county, with closures going into effect for city streets and major roadways, including northbound Highway 101 near Ventura, Highway 154 between Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez, and Highway 166 east of Santa Maria.
At 4 p.m., all commercial flights were canceled at Santa Barbara Airport due to flooding, according to Andrew Bermond, an airport spokesman.
The western 1,000 feet of the 6,052-foot main runway — 7-25 — were covered in water, Bermond said.
The airport also closed Norman Firestone Road, Dean Arnold Place, Burns Place, Cass Place, and Cecil Cook Place, affecting airport businesses and tenants, as well as one lane of Hollister Avenue in each direction between Los Carneros Way and Aero Camino.
The airport did reopen at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and all passengers should check with their airlines for the latest schedule, spokeswoman Lynn Houston said. Passengers can also see a live airport flight schedule on the website.
Emergency officials also were keeping a close eye on Isla Vista, concerned that heightened surf and high tides — coupled with heavy runoff — could imperil ocean-front apartment buidlings that sit on the cliffs along Del Playa Drive.
Building inspectors were out in Isla Vista during the day on Friday, Lewin said, and expected to return Saturday.
In Santa Barbara, Mission Creek flooded between Mason and Yanonali streets, overtopping its banks toward Kimberley Avenue, forcing evacuation of affected properties on Kimberley Avenue.
As of 9 a.m. Saturday, 24-hour rainfall totals in Santa Barbara County included 9.23 inches at San Marcos Pass, 7.55 inches at Lake Cachuma, 6.75 inches in Montecito, 6.30 inches at Refugio Pass, , 6.29 inches in Santa Barbara, 6.22 inches in Solvang, 4.60 inches in Goleta, 4.76 inches in Carpinteria, and 4.54 inches in Lompoc.
Evacuation warnings were issued for the Sherpa Fire burn area along the Gaviota Coast, the Robin Hill Road area of Goleta, and the Fredensborg Canyon Road area of Solvang on Friday.
The Sherpa Fire burn area evacuation warning was issued early Friday for El Capitan Canyon, El Capitan Ranch, El Capitan State Beach, Refugio State Beach, Refugio Canyon, Canada Venadito Canyon, del Coral, and Las Flores Canyon.
The county issued an evacuation warning for the Robin Hill Road area of Goleta around 1 p.m. Friday due to increased flood risk and sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area to ask people to voluntarily evacuate.
The Solvang evacuation warning was issued Friday afternoon due to “potential private bridge failures in the area,” according to the county Office of Emergency Management.
The warning applied to the area of Fredensborg Canyon Road, south of Squire Lane and north of Chalk Hill Road. As of 3:30 p.m., sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the scene to assist residents as needed.
A Flash Flood Watch was issued for the entire county through 11 a.m. Saturday, with a flood advisory issued for some areas through 4:45 p.m. Friday.
Refugio Canyon in the Sherpa Fire burn area was reported to be impassable, with the creek coming across the roadway in several locations.
Rainfall rates in some areas reached an inch per hour, taxing the region’s flood-control infrastructure.
Along with the heavy rainfall, gusty winds ripped through the area, toppling trees and power lines.
“We’re expecting the rain to continue right through the day and into this evening,” David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, told Noozhawk at late morning.
“I don’t really see any breaks at all, actually,” he said.
Santa Barbara County was “in the favored position” to take a direct hit from the storm, and was getting the heaviest rain in Southern California, particularly the southern slopes of the Santa Ynez Mountains, Sweet said.
Power outages were widely reported throughout the county.
Click here for a Southern California Edison outage map and here for PG&E outage information.
In late morning, the Santa Barbara City Fire Department worked to evacuate residences on the 3400 block of Richland Drive, near Broadmoor Plaza, which is the same area evacuated during the Jan. 20 storms due to mudslides from the nearby hill.
The Red Cross set up a shelter for Friday’s evacuation, which was caused by a failed retaining wall, according to city officials.
Flooding was reported at Hollister and Fairview avenues in Goleta, and the county Office of Emergency Management released an advisory warning people of the high potential for flooding in Old Town Goleta along Hollister.
A big tree took down the traffic signal and blocked the road at the Vandenberg Air Force Base main gate at midday Friday.
A mudslide caused the closure of Cliff Drive from Las Positas Road to Mesa School Lane, and a portion of Las Positas.
Loma Alta Road in Santa Barbara was closed Friday morning between Coronel and Canon Perdido streets due to a mudslide, the road to Hollister Ranch was closed due to high flow in Gaviota Creek, and near Santa Barbara, Nogal Drive was closed near Vieja Valley School (which had no classes Friday) due to downed trees and power lines.
In Santa Barbara, a water main break and hole in the road caused a closure on Olive Street between De la Guerra and Canon Perdido streets, and flooding caused other closures on the Eastside, including the 600 block of Quinientos.
There were numerous reports of trees down, including a eucalyptus tree that crashed into a carport in Ellwood, and another that came down on Hollister Avenue near Ellwood School.
Santa Maria reported several road closures in the city due to flooding Friday, including the following as of 1 p.m.
» Betteravia Road between Mahoney and Black roads
» Black Road between Main Street (Highway 166) and Betteravia Road
» West Stowell between Hanson and Black Road
» Sonya Lane between Depot Street and Thornburg Street
» East Jones Street between Bradley Road and Suey Road
» Suey Road from Palisades to East Jones Street
The National Weather Service expected some showers overnight Friday and scattered showers Saturday, with a slight chance of thunderstorms, Sweet said.
Chance of rain Saturday was put at 70 percent.
Sunny skies are expected Sunday, with rain returning Sunday night and Monday.
A wind advisory was in effect through 4 p.m. Friday and a high surf advisory was in effect through 11 p.m. Sunday.
Santa Barbara County officials are encouraging residents and visitors to register at the “Aware and Prepare” emergency notification system website at www.awareandprepare.org to receive alerts.
» Click here for the latest forecast
» Click here for updated rainfall totals
» Click here for locations for free sandbags
» Click here to sign up for free Noozhawk Breaking News text alerts to your cell phone.
— 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.
Video from Ray Ford of Rattlesnake Creek
