Weekend Storm Delivers Inches of Rain, Road Closures, Airport Shutdown — and a Death — Across Santa Barbara County

By Monday morning, the rain that soaked Santa Barbara County through the weekend had begun to ease, revealing the scope of a storm that flooded roadways, temporarily shut down the Santa Barbara Airport, closed stretches of Highway 101 and other roadways, and claimed the life of a man swept into a swollen Goleta Valley creek — all as unusually high king tides pushed water onto the coastline.

The system capped one of the wettest starts to a water year in recent memory, adding inches of rain to already saturated ground and prompting repeated flash flood warnings from the National Weather Service. Emergency officials said the danger has not entirely passed, even as skies cleared.

Rainfall Totals Push County Past Seasonal Norms

According to the National Weather Service, the heaviest rainfall fell along the Gaviota Coast and in the foothills and mountains over a three-day period ending at midnight Monday.

“Three-day rain totals — this is through 12 a.m. Monday morning — at the top rainfall now is Refugio Pass, 5.19 inches; Gaviota Coast, 5.04 inches; Pecho Lote Canyon, 4.97; Santa Barbara Marcos Pass, 4.7; and Refugio Hills, 4.51,” said Devin Black, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Lower elevations generally saw between one and three inches, while mountainous areas received closer to three to five inches, Black said.

The latest storm pushed Santa Barbara County past its average rainfall for both this point in the year and the water year. As of Monday morning, the county had received 327 percent of its “normal-to-date” rainfall and 106 percent of its normal annual rainfall for the water year, which began in October. “Right now for Santa Barbara, we’re at 20.15 inches, and the normal year today is 17 inches,” Black said. While the rain is expected to taper off, the effects of such a wet start to the season could linger.

“The saturated ground enhances the risk,” Black said, noting that even modest wind events can pose ground, tree, and infrastructure stability problems when soils are already waterlogged. “It looks like we’ll have some possibly moderate Santa Ana [winds] Friday into the weekend, so that could cause issues — not only Santa Barbara, but across Ventura, L.A., and San Luis Obispo counties.”

County emergency officials emphasized that while sunshine returned late Sunday afternoon, there are risks that persist after the storm. 

“Because we received so much rain, we may still see movement of soil and rocks,” said Jackie Ruiz, emergency preparedness communications and outreach coordinator for Santa Barbara County. “It’s now sunny and beautiful in a lot of areas, but rock slides, debris flows, landslides are still very possible. The ground is very saturated with water, and so just a reminder to folks to be extra cautious when they’re out there.”

Man Killed After Being Swept Into Maria Ygnacio Creek

The storm claimed a life Saturday afternoon when an adult man was swept into Maria Ygnacio Creek near North San Marcos Road in Goleta.

According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, family members called 9-1-1 at approximately 11:58 a.m. to report that the man had been swept into the creek amid rapidly rising water. Fire personnel and law enforcement immediately responded, including Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, County Air Support, and Ventura County Air Support.

“Despite an extensive and coordinated search effort under hazardous conditions, the man was located at approximately 1:50 p.m.,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a media release. “He was found deceased in the creek near the intersection of San Marcos Road and Via Parva.”

As of Monday afternoon, the victim’s identity has not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin.

Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesperson Scott Safechuck said the man had been traveling in a full-size pickup truck with two other occupants when the vehicle attempted to cross the creek.

“There were three occupants, including the driver,” Safechuck said. “They attempted to cross the creek with their vehicle, and the vehicle had mechanical issues — maybe because of the depth of the water. At some point, they got out of the vehicle, and the driver was washed downstream.”

The road crosses directly through the creek at that location, Safechuck said, and the group had been attempting to reach a property on the opposite side.

The response included multiple fire engines and helicopters, including assistance from Ventura County Fire. The man was ultimately found downstream of where he was last seen and pronounced dead at the scene.

Safechuck reiterated a warning authorities frequently issue during winter storms.

“It only takes 24 inches — two feet — of water to move a vehicle from its position and wash it downstream,” he said. “People should never be driving through swift water. You never know how deep it is.”

The death occurred within roughly half a mile of the site of a similar storm-related fatality last winter, when an elderly man was swept away while attempting to cross Maria Ygnacio Creek during heavy rain.

Roads Closed, Airport Flooded at Storm Peak

As rainfall intensified Saturday morning, flash flood warnings were issued across southern Santa Barbara County, including Goleta, Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, Carpinteria, and the Gaviota Coast.

Heavy rain triggered debris flows and flooding that forced the closure of Highway 101 near Goleta in both directions, beginning around 10 a.m. Caltrans crews worked through the night, and the freeway fully reopened by Sunday morning.

Flooding and mudslides also closed or partially blocked highways 1, 135, 154, and 192, while city streets across Santa Barbara and Goleta were temporarily impassable.

At the height of the storm, the Santa Barbara Airport grounded all flights and closed its runway due to flooding — the second such closure in less than two weeks. The airport sits on land that was historically part of the Goleta Slough, a tidal marsh and wetlands system, a geography that makes the area especially vulnerable when heavy rainfall coincides with high groundwater and elevated tides.

Airport officials announced Sunday morning that the facility had reopened and that airlines were working to resume normal operations.

King Tides Compound Coastal Flooding

The storm coincided with a series of king tides — unusually high tides caused by the alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth — which amplified coastal flooding across the region.

In Santa Barbara, high tides peaked at roughly seven feet over the weekend, above the city’s average high tide of around six feet. The elevated ocean levels limited the ability of storm runoff to drain, pushing water onto the waterfront and into low-lying coastal areas.

January Continues

Forecasters say only a slight chance of showers remains through Tuesday, with drier conditions expected later in the week as offshore winds develop. While that may bring temporary relief, officials caution that the saturated landscape means hazards can persist long after the rain stops.

“Turn around — don’t drown,” the Sheriff’s Office urged in its statement. “Water levels can rise rapidly, and currents may be stronger than they appear.” As this weekend’s storm made clear, the warning is not rhetorical.