Intense winds are blowing through Santa Barbara County on the heels of a series of storms over the holidays and this past weekend that flooded streets and saturated soils.
The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for the Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains and Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern Range, advising the public to expect northeast winds between 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. The warning will remain in effect until 8 p.m. this Thursday.
Additionally, wind advisories are in place across the entire county until 9 p.m. Thursday, with north winds between 15 to 25 mph expected and gusts up to 40 mph in some places. Stronger winds are expected along beaches and in North County cities, including Lompoc and Santa Maria.
Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines, and gusty winds will blow around unsecure objects, the NWS warned. Power outages are possible.
“The saturated ground enhances the risk,” Devin Black, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said on Monday.
“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.”
Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles, the NWS said on Thursday. It is encouraging the public to remain in the lower levels of their home during the windstorm and avoid windows, watch for falling debris and tree limbs, and use caution if they must drive.
