High Wind — Santa Barbara County South Coast, California

2010-12-29 to 2010-12-30 · Santa Barbara County South Coast, California

Event narrative

Strong northerly winds developed across southern sections of Santa Barbara county through the Santa Ynez Mountains. An automated sensor at Las Flores Canyon reported an extended period of sustained northerly winds between 41 and 46 MPH.

Wider weather episode

At the end of December, one final winter storm rolled across Central and Southern California. The storm produced between 0.50 and 1.50 inches of rainfall across the area. As the storm moved through the area, snow levels dropped to around 4000 feet. With the lowering snow levels, 4 to 8 inches of new snowfall was reported in the mountains. Along with the precipitation, this storm system produced strong and damaging northerly winds across the area. Wind gusts in excess of 60 MPH were reported both in the mountains and the valley areas of Southern California. With the ground already saturated from previous rainfall, the strong winds toppled many trees, producing scattered power outages and road blockages.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 266936. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.