Pounding Morning Rain, Swamped Streets and a Boat Crash on a Leading Edge of a Holiday Storm
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT)- A fierce storm coming in from the Pacific with a train-like stream of rain has battered the Santa Barbara and Ventura coast.
The Ventura Pier and the Hueneme Pier have both been shut down by emergency officials until a safety inspection can be completed.
Flooding is reported on Padaro Lane in Carpinteria.
Surface streets in Santa Barbara that were closed or treacherous included lower Calle Cesar Chavez, Chapala at Ortega, Cabrillo at Castillo Street and Old Coast Highway along with North Jameson Lane near Sheffield in Montecito where water was over running the road.
A sedan on Coast Village Circle went up and over a concrete design feature for the parking stalls. The driver was not hurt but the car was damaged.
Mission Creek was pounding with rolling rocks cascading through Oak Park where it dumps out from the De la Vina curve. It starts in the foothills.
The Santa Barbara Airport had a good report card despite the weather challenges for the passengers getting to and from the terminal in the rain. There were a few delays but most were on time and for those traveling to the East at dawn that was a critical start to the day.
Some of the coastal areas quickly got more than three inches of rain from the steady blast between midnight and 9 a.m. Some of the hardest rain was falling about 5 a.m.
During the morning drive hours a vehicle spun out and off the freeway at Winchester Canyon on the eastern side of Goleta.
Crews on Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara were using heavy equipment to pick up palm fronds. In many cases it was done by hand and collected into piles. The street was cover in them.
Work was also underway to keep the drains open in the lower Santa Barbara City College parking lot which filled with water this morning when more rain came down than the area could handle.
(More details, photos and video will be added here later today)
