Rain pattern continues to soak the Central Coast with relief starting Wednesday
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The wet weather and snowy pattern on the Central Coast has been nearly relentless since last week, and there will still be at least two more days of concern.
The week also started with a rescue of two males from a storm drain in that brought out a large response from fire agencies.
The two reportedly got into the waterway in an opening near Las Positas Road by a business center and the railroad tracks. They made it under the freeway and towards the golf course where metal bars blocked their exit.
After a 911 call, Santa Barbara City Fire sent engines and specialized equipment to the scene to pry the bars open for the two inside to safely get out.
The California Highway Patrol and Santa Barbara Police were on scene to investigate.
"The water was at low level and they were able to use the jaws of life to spread the bars open and get them out," said Capt. Scott Safechuck with Santa Barbara County Fire.
He warned, "in storm drains you don't know where they lead to, they could be clogged and people can drown in those quite easily. This isn't the first time that we've had people caught in storm drains or kayaking where they shouldn't."
The morning was busy on many fronts. Public works crews for cities and county operations were assessing the impacts of several days of mixed weather. That included road closures, downed trees, debris in the roadways and pothole calls.
Most of the urban areas were spared from serious flooding but that isn't the case in the lower portion of the Santa Ynez River towards Lompoc where the flow is widening because of the water release at Bradbury Dam. So far it hasn't breached or caused losses to farm land.
Cachuma Lake is at 100 percent and more water is gushing in from the nearby watershed and Gibraltar Reservoir.
Off and on the CHP has had road closures on Highway 154 due to snow, slush and, Sunday morning, the Cold Spring Bridge was frozen over. There was also a multi-car crash at that location.
Areas covered with snow attracted people who wanted to experience it. That led to stuck cars, traffic jams and unsafe conditions for the public. The Sheriff's department says many people violated road closure signs.
In the Santa Barbara Harbor dredging operations have begun to remove sand at the entrance.
That sand accumulation limits the trips back and forth by commercial and recreational vessels.
There's also an effort to clear floating trees from the harbor entrance where they ended up after being washed downstream in creeks.
Mission creek is holding up well with no over flows at Oak Park or Rocky Nook park. Water is flowing at a swift pace in both areas through Santa Barbara.
Flooding signs are up on Cabrillo Boulevard by the cemetery.
The National Weather Service says the rain will stop briefly before another wave or storm clouds moves through Monday night. Then it will get drier and warmer starting Wednesday.
Rainfall totals along the coast are expected to be 1.25 inches with about 4 inches in the mountains.
Snow levels will be about 2500 feet and up.
Linda Krag a visitor was strolling Stearns Wharf with her family said with the current weather pattern, "we don't have any of it in Virginia where we are from but we came to California to experience snow and all this rain and hail."
From the waterfront the sight of snow on the hills was melting away.
Andrea Speraw looked up and said, "this morning I went up to the San Marcos Preserve and saw the whole view and oh it was beautiful."
With all the different weather we've seen lately, Eric Poindexter a longtime resident said, "when people talk about it (they say) 'oh we have been in this drought we need rain we need rain.' And then it comes and it fills up the reservoirs and stuff and then people say 'and now we need sunshine!' "
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