Santa Barbara Experiences a Rainy March, but a Dry Year

An unusually wet March was only matched by the unusual — and spectacular — lightning show of September 2017.

Rain of varying intensities dropped 1.87 inches at Lake Cachuma during March and put residents below the burn zones in and out of their homes this week. Rains overnight March 10-March 11 added about an inch to south-facing slopes but were not strong enough to merit evacuation. A potential half inch per hour on March 13 caused officials to order a mandatory evacuation on March 12, which was ended the next morning when skies cleared early. The county’s rainfall total is 36 percent of normal to date, with 507 acre feet added to Cachuma Reservoir since the beginning of the month.