But cold temperatures persist during the first week of spring
Waves crash ashore Goleta Beach past the still-closed Goleta Pier Wednesday afternoon, several hours after the rain stopped.
The rain that has deluged Santa Barbara County over the last few days continued Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.
The flood watch ended Wednesday morning. There was a heavy downpour Wednesday between 7 and 8 a.m. in the Santa Barbara area, but by 8:30 a.m., the rain had stopped.
There was the possibility of precipitation after the News-Press went to press Wednesday night. But the National Weather Service says there’s no chance of rain today in Santa Barbara County.
The storm’s over, but keep your jacket handy.
The weather service’s forecast calls for partly cloudy skies today throughout the county, with a low of 47 degrees and a high of 65 in Santa Barbara; a low of 46 and high of 58 in Lompoc; and a low of 47 and high of 57 in Santa Maria. Santa Ynez is expected to experience a low of 47 and a high of 59, and Cuyama is the coldest spot with a low of 41 and a high of 53.
The National Weather Service predicts sunshine throughout the county on Friday, except for Cuyama, which won’t be sunny until Saturday.
A low of 47 and a high of 67 are expected for Santa Barbara, and it’ll be colder elsewhere. The weather service predicted both Lompoc and Santa Maria will see a low of 39 and a high of 59, while Santa Ynez experiences a broader temperature gap with a high of 61 and a low of 39. Cuyama will remain cold with a low of 37 and high of 51.
Between 4 p.m. Tuesday and 4 p.m. Wednesday, rain totals were 1.14 inches in Goleta, 0.43 inch in Santa Maria, 0.39 inch in Lompoc, 0.21 inch in New Cuyama and 0.14 inch in Santa Ynez. Those numbers are from the National Weather Service.
Whatever the rain amounts, the storm’s impact was still seen hours after it ended.
During Wednesday afternoon, the Goleta Pier remained closed while dramatic waves crashed against Goleta Beach.
Elsewhere, “Highway 1 is closed from Solomon Road to Black Road in the Santa Maria area,” Alexa Bertola, public information officer for Caltrans District 5, told the News-Press in an email.
For the latest road closures go to quickmap.dot.ca.gov.
No evacuation orders were issued during the storm, but the weather did lead to the closure of Jalama Road in Lompoc.
“The Shelter in Place for Jalama Road has been canceled,” the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management reported Wednesday afternoon at its website (readysbc.org). “Jalama Road is closed to the public until further notice. Residents are advised to take caution in the area and to avoid traveling on the road in large/oversized vehicles.
“New damages should be reported to the County Lompoc Road Yard during normal business hours by calling 805-737-7773,” the Office of Emergency Management said. “If you encounter a life-threatening hazard or have an emergency, call 9-1-1.”
This year’s storms have left a positive impact on the county’s reservoirs.
As of Wednesday, Gibraltar was at 101.1% capacity, and the elevation was at 1,400.22 feet.
Lake Cachuma was at 97.3 %, and the elevation was at 751.21 feet. Jameson was at 100.9% capacity, and the elevation was at 2,224.34 feet.
Twitchell was at 56.7% capacity on Wednesday, and the elevation was at 624.07 feet.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
