Santa Barbara Airport begins phased reopening after storm

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara Airport started a phased reopening Tuesday afternoon, one day after flooding closed the air traffic control tower and grounded all flights.

The airport said the phased reopening started at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday.

According to a tweet, the airport had notified all airlines and was working to restore service to and from Santa Barbara Airport.

"Thank you for your patience as our crews worked to clean up the area as fast as possible. The airfield and surrounding areas experienced a significant amount of flooding, but we're happy to report there was no major damage," the tweet said.

Passengers were asked to check with airlines directly to learn more about flight status.

The terminal and all parking lots were open as of Tuesday afternoon.

The airport said parking areas could be limited in private and general aviation areas.

The airport first grounded all flights and closed its air traffic control tower on Monday because of storm-related flooding.