Heavy Rains Hit Santa Barbara over Easter Weekend

Highway 101 Closes at Montecito when Just Under 2 Inches Fell in an Hour

The Sheffield underpass in Montecito closed, as did Highway 101, when hail, snow, and a flood of rainwater Saturday night caused havoc. | Credit: Caltrans District 5

Areas of Montecito and Santa Barbara were hit hard by rain and hail on Saturday night, with over 5 inches of rain falling over the three-day period in higher elevations. The heavy storm resulted in damage that included mudslides, vehicle accidents, and downed power lines. A portion of Highway 101 through Montecito was closed in both directions for at least four hours.

Thunderstorms over Montecito dropped several inches of small, snow-like hail on the roads and overpasses around Sheffield Road, stranding multiple vehicles, on Saturday night. Hail was still present and piled high on Sunday morning despite overnight cleanup efforts, according to Caltrans at its X/Twitter account.

A little further west, Highway 101 off Olive Mill Road was closed by California Highway Patrol and Caltrans due to heavy flooding and debris around 9 p.m. on Saturday. During the closure, eight people and one dog were rescued from cars stuck in water. The Rosewood Miramar, an exclusive five-star hotel resting on the shores nearest to the closure, assisted with the rescue efforts, offering shelter, blankets, and food to the rescued individuals as they waited for the roads to reopen.

One driver suffered from hypothermia after their car was submerged in one of the flooded roads near Sheffield. A qualified rescue swimmer was brought in from Carpinteria-Summerland Fire to get the individual out of the car and to the hospital. No additional injuries were reported.

Christina Atchison of the Montecito Fire District said, “7:30 to 10:30 p.m. really was the peak of the storm for us, but then it was pretty much done.” She also noted that just shy of 2 inches of rain fell in the hour between 8 and 9 p.m., leading to the intense flash flooding.

Ortega Hill Road near Summerland also closed on Saturday evening when an 18-wheeler truck jackknifed to avoid a downed power pole. The road is still closed today.

Supercell thunderstorms like this one, explained meteorologist Ariel Cohen of the National Weather Service, tend to be much more localized than Santa Barbara’s average atmospheric river. “These types of storms have widely varying impacts over short distances.”

Downtown Santa Barbara only saw about 2 inches of rain over the weekend, and Goleta had even less. Carpinteria was faced with a tornado warning early Sunday morning, but none were reported.