Monday’s storm dropped heavy rainfall on Santa Barbara County for hours, causing massive amounts of flooding and minor debris flows and mudslides in the quickly-changing conditions.
This is meant to be a resource of storm-related information all in one place for readers to check for updates. It was last updated at 5:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
Evacuation Orders and Flood Maps
Visit readysbc.org for evacuation-related information, to sign up for emergency alerts, and to view storm impact maps and flood maps.
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, all evacuation orders and shelter-in-place orders were lifted.
An Orcutt neighborhood was evacuated due to flood damage.
Evacuation centers are open at the SBCC Wake Center at 300 N. Turnpike Road in Santa Barbara and the Veterans Memorial Building in Carpinteria at 941 Walnut Ave.
The city of Santa Maria said the emergency shelter opened Monday night at the Minami Community Center has been closed. “The Freedom Warming Center located at the Church of Nazarene, 1026 Sierra Madre, housed 23 persons overnight, and is available to provide services,” according to the city.
Those needing assistance evacuating small animals can call Santa Barbara County Animal Services at 805.681.4331 or 805.683.2724 for after-hours.
Large animals can be evacuated to Earl Warren Showground and assistance with large animal evacuations is available by calling 805.892.4484.
More information regarding evacuations and other resources is available by calling 211 or the county call center at 833.688.5551, or online at readysbc.org.
The FEMA flood map is here, which shows areas at-risk of flooding.
Road and Highway Closures
There were debris flows, mudslides and flooding blocking Highway 101 lanes all over southern Santa Barbara County as of Monday afternoon.
Closures were being announced frequently and the best way to check your route is through the resources below.
Check Caltrans’ Quickmap for highway and state route closures here.
Check Santa Barbara County road closures on the Public Works map here.
The county made a storm-related road closure info page here.
Check the California Highway Patrol incident log for information about road closures, traffic, and vehicle collisions.
Caltrans reopened Highway 101 throughout Santa Barbara County Tuesday evening.
Highway 154 was closed between the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara and portions of Highway 246 were closed due to flooding.
The Metropolitan Transit District restarted bus service midday Tuesday on a modified schedules.
School Closures
All K-12 public schools were closed Tuesday, according to the County Education Office.
Schools in evacuation areas like Montecito were closed midday Monday and parents were asked to pick up their children as soon as possible.
The Santa Barbara County Education Office said that individual schools will be communicating with students and parents about any closures.
UC Santa Barbara canceled classes for Monday and Tuesday due to the weather.
Weather Updates
By Tuesday afternoon, flood-related advisories had ended across Santa Barbara County.
Check the latest forecast with the National Weather Service here.