According to Weather.com, a tornado warning was issued for parts of Santa Barbara County early this morning. The warning, which apparently expired at 2 a.m., was specifically for “the cities of Refugio and western Goleta” and was made after an analysis of an early morning thunderstorm that meteorologists deemed capable of creating a tornado. Currently, Weather.com lists an urban and small stream flood advisory, a flash flood watch and a “special weather statement.” That last one, which applies for counties throughout Southern California, predicts significant rain and mountain snow through the weekend and some thunderstorms. As of the posting of this brief, rain is predicted to become more widespread and more intense tonight. More hail is possible. The statement concludes as follows: “This storm system alone has the potential to bring two to five inches of rain to coastal and valley areas: and five to ten inches of rain to the foothills and mountains.” It also mentioned the possibility of only “small, week tornados.”
Information for this post was initially found at BlogaBarbara, which posted a screen capture of the tornado warning.