Thursday, March 22, 2018

Day 2 of Spring Storm Brings Flash Flood Watches, Mudslide Concerns to Santa Barbara, Ventura Counties

Rain hits Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as residents prepare for ...

www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-santa-barbara-rain-20180321-story.html
1 day ago - Residents who live below the Thomas fire burn area, as well as the Sherpa and Whittier fires were told to evacuate their homes by noon Tuesday. Flash flood watches were issued in Santa Barbaraand Ventura counties, where scorched hillsides will start to dissolve into mud flows if it rains at a rate of more ...

Day 2 of Spring Storm Brings Flash Flood Watches, Mudslide Concerns to Santa Barbara, Ventura Counties

Flooding, Mudslides Concerns Continue for Montecito Residents
Day two of a major spring storm is bringing continued mudslide concerns and evacuation orders to many Santa Barbara and Ventura county residents Thursday.
Sand bags and a road closed sign are seen in Montecito on March 22, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)
Sand bags and a road closed sign are seen in Montecito on March 22, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)
Day one brought record rainfall, but little damage, to both areas Wednesday. The City of Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara County received 1.85 inches of rain, breaking the previous record of .76 in 2017.
In Ventura County, Oxnard received 1.83 inches of rain and Camarillo saw 1.68 inches, both topping records of 1.30 inches back in 1937.
The City of Montecito, in Santa Barbara County, saw just over 2 inches of rain as of about 2 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
Montecito residents are among the roughly 30,000 under mandatory evacuation ordersin Santa Barbara County.
Officials are concerned about massive mudslides in the burn areas of the Thomas Fire, which burned about 281,900 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, becoming California’s largest fire in modern history.
Twenty-one people were killed when flash floods crashed through homes in the neighborhoods of Montecito in January.
Forecasters are expecting another 2 to 4 inches of rain for the foothill and mountain areas on Thursday.
During “high intensity” times, between a half-inch to one-inch per hour could fall.
Flash flood watches were in place for Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties through Thursday afternoon.
Mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders have also been issued for some Ventura County residents.
Updated information can be found on the Ventura County Emergency Information website.
Route 33 near Fairview drive just east of Ojai was already closed Thursday morning due to a mudslide.
In Los Angeles County, residents living in the Creek and La Tuna Canyon fire burn areas were ordered to evacuate by 6 p.m. Wednesday night. Others living in the areas affected by recent fires were warned to prepare for evacuations and street closures.
Forecasters are calling for a slight chance of thunderstorms as the storm continues into Thursday.
Day 2 of Spring Storm Brings Mudslide Concerns to Ventura County

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