Rain and Hail Sweep Through the Central Coast
VENTURA, Calif. — Mother Nature delivered cold temperatures, rain, and hail Sunday across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
Residents along the coast woke up to the sound of steady rainfall. The storm soaked roads and yards in Oxnard and brought hail to Ventura.
Mattie Richardson captured a photo of Salzer’s Records, where the hail resembled snow. Hail also blanketed the grounds outside Topa Topa Brewing Co. on Colt Street.
Drifts of hail were reported on Highway 101 between Los Carneros Road and Fairview Avenue, as well as in areas around Goleta. Snow and slush contributed to a minor-injury crash on Highway 154 near East Camino Cielo on Sunday, authorities said.
Driving in the rain and icy conditions proved challenging, particularly for those who hadn’t used their windshield wipers in a while.
Once the rain subsided, people ventured outside and shared their thoughts on the unusual weather.
“I think it is kind of nice. I like when it is a little chilly out. I’m a fan of the rain, so it was fun,” said Bryan Segal.
Don White witnessed a few accidents on the slick roads.
“It was ice coming down—ice on the road. My car was slipping around. I had to pull into the gas station to get out of the hail,” White said.
Austin Barradas, a bartender at Topa Topa Brewing Co., said he hadn’t seen weather like this in years.
“White little pellets were falling. The ground was almost completely white in here. It was hitting the roof—we have glass up on the ceiling—so it was banging down and crashing,” Barradas said.
Many sought shelter from the rain and hail inside the brewery.
Topa Topa, which typically hosts its outdoor Grateful Jamboree on the last Sunday of the month, moved the event indoors due to the rainy forecast.
Your News Channel got some weather photos sent in by viewers.
Michelle Evdokimov from Ventura captured video of hail coming down near Victoria Avenue between Trader Joe's and Ralston.
Michael Holliday captured video of snowfall on San Marcos Pass.
The National Weather Service said “significantly cooler weather” will continue through Monday.
