3 inches of rain strike Santa Barbara area
Cars travel through the rain on Highway 101 Thursday in Santa Barbara, where nearly an inch fell. Several traffic collisions were reported on the highway, and the California Highway Patrol is urging motorists to slow down and leave more space in front of them during storms.
Santa Barbara County experienced heavy rainfall during a long storm that led to flooding, traffic accidents and a highway closure.
Around 3 inches of rain fell in the Santa Barbara area during the storm, which started Wednesday evening and continued through Thursday afternoon.
The National Weather Service predicted there would be more rain today and Saturday, then a break on Sunday before rain starts up again Monday and continues the rest of the next week.
On Thursday, flooding was bad enough to cause the closure of State Route 1 in Orcutt, according to KEYT/KCOY-TV in Santa Barbara.
Just over 3 inches of rain fell Thursday in Goleta, and 2.61 inches fell in Santa Barbara, according to the weather service. Lompoc experienced 1.53 inches.
Santa Maria saw 1.49 inches of rain, and Santa Ynez was right behind it with 1.38 inches.
Along with the rainy weather came some chill: Highs Thursdays were in the upper 50s throughout the county, and the weather service predicted similar temperatures this weekend.
As the rain fell, there were several weather-related accidents on Highway 101 in the county as well as flooding in Summerland and Carpinteria, according to the California Highway Patrol.
“Stopping distance is greatly reduced in these conditions,” Officer Will Clotworthy of the CHP told the News-Press Thursday. “People should maintain additional distance from other vehicles and drive at a reduced speed during inclement weather conditions.”
The storm proceeded mostly as predicted: a steady light rain, with some heavier pockets in San Luis Obispo County and picking up more Thursday morning in Santa Barbara County.
A flood advisory was issued Thursday for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. It was in effect until 4 p.m.
The rain was expected to shift south Thursday toward Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
The National Weather Service predicted more periods of rain today and Saturday, as well as more rain next week.
The storm didn’t lead to any cancellations at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport.
“Rain can cause delays, but seldom cancellations, unless it is combined with the risk of thunder or lightning or reduced visibility or fog,” Deanna Zachrisson, the airport business development manager, told the News-Press Thursday.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
