[Update: Dec. 14, 2 p.m.] The evacuation order for the Gaviota area has been lifted, but Refugio Road is open only to residents. Crews continue to clean up in the area.
[Original story] The cold Pacific waters that cause a La Niña system are controlling the weather this rain year — as well as feeding tornadoes in the Midwest — but last night's rainfall totals were astonishing. At San Marcos Pass, 7.58 inches fell, and 5.65 inches at Gibraltar Dam — the two highest recorded by the county hydrology gauges for the storm.
Gibraltar Reservoir's current capacity nearly doubled from 3.8 percent on December 13 to 6 percent on December 14. Though the creeks ran well at the height of the storm at around 4 a.m., the precipitation is soaking into the thirsty soil. Lake Cachuma — which is fed by the Santa Ynez River — increased slightly by about 612 acre-feet, raising current storage to 92,106 acre-feet out of a possible total of 193,305. Gibraltar's dryness, watershed, and relatively small size accounted for the numeric increase, and Cachuma's level went up mostly thanks to direct rainfall, said Shawn Johnson, senior hydrologist for Santa Barbara County.
