Unusual weather visits Santa Barbara County

 

Record heat, high surf warnings, record cold, storm and flood warnings, and now wind advisories over the holiday season -- residents of Santa Ynez Valley have seen the gamut of weather situations the past month.

High temperatures recorded in Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and Lompoc over the last month ranged from the mid-’50s to the high ’80s during the day, setting record high temperatures for this time of year. Lows have dipped into the high ’20s, causing fans to click on at local avocado ranches along Refugio Canyon and prompting other agricultural groups to take precautions to keep their fruit and vegetables from freezing.

 

In the middle of December, between the 18th and the 20th, rainfall ranged between 1.10 inches, reported at the Buellton Maintenance Yard, to 7.28 inches at the top of San Marcos Pass. Other measurements included Santa Barbara, 2.68 inches; Carpinteria and Goleta, both 2.28; Edison Trail, 5.0; Montecito, 4.63; Bates Ridge, 1.81; Figueroa Mountain, 2.76; Refugio Pass, 5.91; West Big Pine, 1.46; Gibraltar Dam, 3.38; La Cumbre Peak, 4.64; Getty Basic, 1.22, Twitchell Dam, 2.85; Cachuma Dam, 1.85; Los Alamos, 1.70; Cuyama, .32; and Los Prietos, 3.48.

During the weekend of Dec 22-23, temperatures dipped below freezing at night but reached into the high ’70s during the day. Wind advisories were posted by the National Weather service between Dec. 21 to the end of the year, with wind gusts expected between 10 and 50 miles-per-hour and high fog area, especially in the mountain areas in Santa Barbara County.

 

Earlier in December a special weather statement issued by the National Weather Service for the weekend of Dec. 6-10, calling for high surf conditions through the day on Dec. 6 and then a cold, Pacific storm moving through the area through the weekend.

The rainfall was not as much as expected, but there were wind gusts up to 50 miles-per-hour, and flash flood warnings for the Zaca Fire burn areas throughout the weekend and into Dec 10.

A cold front following the Pacific storm brought snow to elevations of 5,000 feet and higher, with 5 inches of snow recorded at Mt. Baldy and one inch at Pine Mountain Club. Only a light amount of snow fell on Figueroa Mountain in the Santa Ynez Valley.

 

The Pacific storm brought special weather statements and warnings for much of California, especially along the coast with high surf warnings and inland where burn areas are vulnerable to flooding and mud and debris flows.

High thunderous surf during the week brought giant 28-foot swells and waves as high as 20 feet to the coast in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.

 

This, added to high tide, caused beach erosion and coastal flooding and prompted National Coast Guard warnings to swimmers, fishermen and surfers to stay out of and away from the water because of extremely dangerous rip currents and waves that could suddenly sweep across previously dry areas.

The National Weather Service also warned coastal residents to protect property and animals from the high surf conditions.

 

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department was called to rescue a surfer caught in a rip current near Point Conception, but Capt. Eli Isklow said the surfer was able to reach safety on his own. Fourteen other people, most surfers, were rescued by lifeguards at Ventura County beaches.

Ventura Pier was closed for two days because of the large swells, but that didn’t stop dozens of onlookers from coming to the area’s beaches to see the waves. Several low lying areas and streets in Ventura were flooded by the high waves and tides, causing traffic jams and some property damage.

The first storm brought thunder and lighting, while the second storm moved south into Ventura and Los Angeles counties, dumping as much as four inches of rain in the higher elevations and prompted high wind advisories for travelers throughout the southern part of California, especially in mountainous regions.