Finally, Some Weather

Rain returned in a big way to Santa Barbara County this past weekend as a series of three massive North Pacific storm systems made their way south over the weekend, dropping more rain in 72 hours than many areas had totalled in the past two years. Starting mid-morning on 1/4 and continuing off and on until the early morning hours of 1/7, the storm, according to data from the County Flood Control District, brought a total of 4.7 inches to downtown Santa Barbara, almost 11 inches to the San Marcos Pass, 9.5 inches at the Gibraltar Dam, and almost 5 inches in the Santa Ynez Valley. Bringing life to long-dry creek beds and fouling up driving conditions, the storms were also responsible for a small, road-closing landslide on Old San Marcos Road and flooding on Stagecoach Road near Cold Springs Tavern. Currently, weather reports predict sunnier skies through next week.