Two storm systems dropped welcome inches of rain across Santa Barbara County between Saturday and Monday. At South County’s greatest water source, Lake Cachuma, 1.29 inches fell, bringing the reservoir up by 153 acre-feet to 31 percent capacity. The highest rain total was at Tecolote Canyon along State Route 154 with 4.64 inches. The water plume Sunday night brought more rain than the night before, though Saturday’s short-lived downpour hit 0.82 inches in 30 minutes at the Santa Monica Mountains’ Deals Flat, leading to mud and debris flows at Pacific Coast Highway and the canyons burned in November’s Woolsey Fire. “The storm door is open,” National Weather Service forecasters stated on Tuesday, predicting rainfall every two to three days for the coming week.
