BREAKING: Montecito, surrounding areas ordered to evacuate; NB 101 Fwy in Santa Barbara County shut down amid heavy rain
Rain-weary Californians grappled with flooding and mudslides Monday as the latest in a series of powerful storms walloped the state, prompting widespread evacuations, toppling trees and frustrating motorists who hit roadblocks caused by fallen debris.An evacuation order for the entire community of Montecito and surrounding canyons scarred by recent wildfires came on the fifth anniversary of a mudslide that killed 23 people and destroyed more than 100 homes in the coastal enclave.
Northbound lanes of U.S. 101, a key coastal route, were closed, along with several other highways and local roads.Up the coast, evacuation orders were issued in coastal, woodsy Santa Cruz County for about 32,000 residents living near rain-swollen rivers and creeks, said Melodye Serino, the deputy county administrative officer. The San Lorenzo River was declared at flood stage, and video on social media showed a neighborhood flooded with muddy water surging up to a stop sign.
Christine Patracuola, the owner of Rocky's Cafe for 25 years, handed out free coffee to customers whose homes lacked power Monday. Her staff couldn't come in because of closed roads, including a bridge over the San Lorenzo. The river is usually about 60 feet below the cabins, Martin said, but it crept up to 12 feet from the cabins. Still, Martin said she wasn't worried - her family has owned the property for about 60 years, and her grandfather checked out conditions Monday and shrugged it off.
The National Weather Service warned of a "relentless parade of atmospheric rivers" - long plumes of moisture stretching out into the Pacific that can drop staggering amounts of rain and snow. The precipitation expected over the next couple of days comes after storms last week knocked out power to thousands, flooded streets, and battered the coastline.
The first of the newest, heavier storms prompted the weather service to issue a flood watch for a large portion of Northern and Central California, with 6 to 12 inches of rain expected through Wednesday in the already saturated Sacramento-area foothills.
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