As expected, a storm system — the first significant one of the rainy season — rolled into Santa Barbara County on Sunday night, with periods of heavy rainfall persisting until around midnight along the South Coast.
Hail pelted the Montecito foothills off and on late Sunday.
The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory that was to remain in effect until 1:30 a.m. Monday on the South Coast, but the rain had mostly tapered off to showers by early Monday.
According to the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department rainfall dashboard, Ellwood Canyon above Goleta had recorded the most rain as of 12:30 a.m. Monday, with .92 inches, followed by .85 inches at San Marcos Pass above Santa Barbara and .84 inches at Surf, west of Lompoc.
Downtown Santa Barbara recorded .72 inches but most county rain gauges were in the half-inch range early Monday.
The weather service said more rain and showers — and possibly a thunderstorm or two — were likely through late Monday afternoon.
Daytime high temperatures were expected to be in the mid-60s Monday with winds gusting as high as 25 mph. Overnight lows were forecast in the low 40s.
By Tuesday, the weather service expects the rain to have moved on, and clear skies and highs in the mid-60s are forecast for the rest of the week. Overnight temperatures could drop into the upper 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday, before bouncing back to the low 40s.
A beach hazards warning is in effect until 3 p.m. Tuesday, and the weather service cautioned that west-facing beaches could experience dangerous rip currents and breakers to 6 feet.
» Click here for the complete National Weather Service forecast.
— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
