Flash flood warning scheduled to expire tonight for Santa Barbara and Ventura counties
Sailboats and other smaller watercraft are thrown around Friday in the rough, choppy water off East Beach in Santa Barbara.
Giant trees fell, the wind blew fiercely, and the rain kept coming on a Friday that saw a brief tornado warning and a much longer warning about flash floods.
Winter weather conditions continue to be forecast for Santa Barbara County through today.
Conditions include extreme cold temperatures, snow at higher elevations, continued wind, localized flooding, and isolated thunderstorms that are possible countywide.
There was a brief tornado warning Friday morning at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Additionally, boats struggled against the choppy water off East Beach in Santa Barbara.
There was also a flash flood warning for Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, which is scheduled to expire at 6 p.m. today. And a wind advisory expired at 1 a..m. today.
The winter storm brought down large trees. Late Friday afternoon, a big stone pine tree fell down on East Anapamu Street near Nopal Street in the area of Santa Barbara High School. Anapamu Street had to be closed between Alta Vista Road and Nopal.
Up north, an approximately 80-foot by 100-foot tall tree fell at approximately 11:43 a.m., causing major damage to a residence in the 200 block of Deer Run in Santa Maria. Injuries were sustained. The Red Cross and building and safety personnel were notified, according to a tweet by Capt. Scott Safechuck, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
There were no evacuation orders and no evacuation warnings.
On Friday, weather conditions were as follows:
— Santa Ynez: high of 46 degrees, low of 41 degrees with precipitation at 0.51 inch.
— Goleta/Santa Barbara Airport: High of 55 degrees, low of 46 degrees with precipitation at 0.48 inch. And New Cuyama: High of 46 degrees, low of 37 with precipitation at 0.3 inch.
The National Weather Service’s forecast for today is as follows.
— Santa Barbara: Rain with a low of 40 degrees and a high of 51 degrees with a 100% chance of precipitation at night and 80% chance during the day.
— UCSB: Rain with a low of 39, high of 51 with a 100% chance of precipitation at night and an 80% chance during the day.
A large tree damaged a home Friday in the 200 block of Deer Run in Santa Maria.
— Lompoc: Rain with a low of 38 degrees and a high of 51 degrees with a 90% chance of precipitation at night and a 70% chance of precipitation during the day.
— Santa Maria: Rain with a low of 35 and a high of 50 with a 90% chance of precipitation at night and a 60% chance during the day.
The forecast for Sunday is as follows.
— Santa Barbara: Partly cloudy with a low of 34 degrees and a high of 57 degrees with a 60% chance of precipitation at night and a 20% chance during the day.
— UCSB: Partly cloudy with a low of 34 degrees and a high of 55 degrees with a 60% chance of precipitation at night and a 20% chance during the day.
— Lompoc: Partly cloudy with a low of 35 degrees and a high of 55 degrees with a 40% chance of precipitation at night and a 30% chance during the day.
— Santa Maria: Partly cloudy with a low of 34 and a high of 54 and 40% chance of precipitation equally at night and during the day.
Current reservoir levels are as follows.
— Gibraltar: 100.8% capacity
— Cachuma: 99.1% capacity
— Jameson: 100.5% capacity
— Twitchell: 37.3% capacity.
The National Weather Service has issued multiple weather statements for Santa Barbara County, including:
— Blizzard warning for the county’s interior mountains, which will be in effect through 4 p.m. today.
— Multiple flood watches for the county’s interior mountains, the Santa Ynez mountains, and coastal areas from Point Conception through Carpinteria. These flood watches are generally effective through 6 p.m. today.
The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management advises residents to remain vigilant and be prepared to move to high ground if they live in an area prone to flooding or in or below a recent burn area. The office also encourages drivers to proceed carefully through wet and potentially snowy road conditions and stay off roads entirely if possible.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
FYI
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