A surprise downpour Saturday night turned parts of downtown Santa Barbara into rivers, trapping people in their vehicles and closing the Mission Street underpass and southbound Highway 101 offramps.
The Santa Barbara City Fire Department received about 10 simultaneous calls for service when the cell hit about 8 p.m., Battalion Chief Jon Turner told Noozhawk.
The calls ranged from medical emergencies to traffic accidents, roadway flooding and people stuck in their vehicles.
One of the callers described water coming over their vehicle on the 500 block of Salsipuedes Street.
Firefighters helped one woman out of her vehicle after water prevented her from exiting on her own, Turner said.
“She was stuck in her vehicle and couldn’t get out,” Turner said.
The intersection of Cota and Salsipuedes streets was flooded about one block in each direction, and four cars were stuck, he said. The other three individuals exited on their own after the water subsided and their vehicles were towed.
The sudden rain also flooded the intersection of Cota and Laguna streets, and Cacique street in between Nopalitos and Quarantina streets.
Turner also said there were “some issues with a little rock and debris” at the intersection of Las Tunas Road and West Mountain Drive.
The Mission Street underpass was also flooded and closed, as well as the southbound offramp, Turner said.
The burst of rain Saturday night came after rain soaked Santa Barbara County Friday and overnight, before easing up in most locations in the afternoon hours.
“The worst of it should be over,” Rich Thompson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, told Noozhawk in the afternoon. “There should be light to moderate rain the rest of the day.”
Most areas around Santa Barbara and the South Coast received 2-4 inches of rain, with some mountain locations recording more than 8 inches.
“We saw very significant rainfall in the area,” Thompson said.
San Marcos Pass in the mountains above Santa Barbara was among the county’s wettest locations, with a 3-day rainfall total of 9.86 inches as of 10 p.m. Saturday, according to the county Public Works Department.
Alisal Reservoir in the Santa Ynez Valley tallied 7.84 inches, while Tecolote Canyon recorded 8.43 inches and Refugio Pass recorded 8.15 inches.
Other South Coast rainfall totals included 5.84 inches in Goleta, 7.21 inches in Santa Barbara, 6.65 inches in Montecito, and 5.49 inches in Carpinteria.
In the North County, Santa Maria measured 2.42 inches, Lompoc totaled 2.79 inches, Solvang had 4.38 inches and Buellton had 3.48 inches.
Guadalupe was the county’s driest spot with 1.63 inches.
The National Weather Service said a Flood Watch and a Flood Advisory would remain in effect until 3 a.m. Sunday.
Several vehicle crashes were reported throughout the county, along with numerous downed trees and minor street flooding. No serious injuries were reported.
And forecasters said, if you love rain, you won’t be lonely for long.
The wet weather is expected to return on Monday and Tuesday, with another storm on Thursday, Thompson said.
“It will be a cool and unsettled weather pattern,” Thompson said.
High surf and flood advisories were in effect through Saturday afternoon.
Click here for the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
Click here for real-time rainfall totals from Santa Barbara County.
