More heavy rain, flash flooding, strong winds, thunderstorms ahead
The powerful Pacific storm continues to impact the Central Coast — consistent heavy rainfall, local flooding, and thunderstorms are the name of the game Thursday. Rain totals are already impressive and more is on the way. Several hours of moderate to heavy rainfall will continue all day Thursday into early Friday morning as well. The slow-moving storm has caused the National Weather Service to issue several Flood Alerts. Santa Barbara received an inch and a half of rain in less than an hour earlier Thursday morning.
A Flood Watch will be in effect until 4am Friday morning for all three counties in the area. A Flood Advisory will be in effect until 10am Friday for most of Ventura County. A Flood Warning remains in effect until 10am Friday for the South Coast, including Montecito, Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Isla Vista. We have already seen flooding of roadways, creeks, and streams — it is best to avoid being on the roads for the duration of the storm. There is a possibility of debris flow near or around the South Fire in Ventura County, which is the most recent burn scar.
The Wind Advisory expired Thursday morning, but gusty Southerly winds will continue to impact the region throughout the day. There is instability with this storm and the chance of thunderstorms, water spouts, and small tornados continues Thursday. The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning earlier Thursday morning for Ventura County. That has since expired, but there is still a chance of that taking place.
By Friday, there will be moderate to heavy rain in the morning, but by the afternoon the chance of rain will slowly diminish. The weekend looks clear and dry, with nice conditions in the forecast for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
