Month: December 2025

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Christmas Eve was celebrated up and down the Central Coast today, despite the rain.

A lot of people stayed indoors today.

While the rain isn’t necessarily unusual for the Central Coast this time of year, it does seem to be unusual for the Christmas holiday itself.

’Twas the day before Christmas and along the Central Coast, fewer people than normal may have been stirring, ‘cause the weather’s usually warm as toast!

“We’re here for the weekend. For the week, actually,” says Sandra Carlson, Lives In Arizona. “And we were surprised that you guys are getting all this rain.”

Santa held hours at Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo for the last time in 2025, and a lull in the weather brought families out just a few hours before the rain again went live.

“We moved from outside to inside the house here, which is very comfortable,” says Santa. “And we get a lot of people show up for the last Christmas Eve to see Santa and we’re very pleased.”

Some folks at Pismo Beach said this weather makes much more sense for a holiday celebrated in December, unlike so many years hence.

“We’ve been very fortunate for the last few years that the weather’s been pretty mild if not warm,” says Scotty Jalbert with SLO County Emergency Services. “So it just so happens that the storm hits right during Christmas Eve and Christmas this year.”

Emergency services in SLO and Santa Barbara counties know this is not typical weather, and they are ready to spring at whatever this stormy Christmas Eve night may decide to bring.

“Slow your speeds down,” says Jalbert. “Watch out for hydroplaning. Sometimes your standing water on the side of the road, you can lose control of your vehicle, keep a safe distance and don’t be in a hurry.”

“Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year,” says Santa.

County officials send reminders to tune in to emergency notification systems and celebrate responsibly.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT)- A fierce storm coming in from the Pacific with a train-like stream of rain has battered the Santa Barbara and Ventura coast.

The Ventura Pier and the Hueneme Pier have both been shut down by emergency officials until a safety inspection can be completed.

Flooding is reported on Padaro Lane in Carpinteria from an overflowing small creek in the area. Drivers were able to get through but the depth was a concern for many of them who saw a large pond of water that stretched past the driveways of many homes.

 Prashand  Deore came through from Los Angeles.  “I don’t know, I’ve never came on this road. If there’s some ditches there,  If I am stuck in it with my car, with my family, I don’t want to take this. “

Surface streets in Santa Barbara that were closed or treacherous included lower Calle Cesar Chavez, Chapala at Ortega, Cabrillo at Castillo Street and Old Coast Highway along with North Jameson Lane near Sheffield in Montecito where water was over running the road.

A sedan on Coast Village Circle went up and over a concrete design feature for the parking stalls. The driver was not hurt but the car was damaged.

A late evening downpour drenched and flooded some streets in Goleta and Isla Vista with concerns that brought out the fire department around 7:30 p.m. There was a large tree down covering Cathedral Oaks at Los Carneros. Streets with flooding include Trigo, Seville, Vega and Valdez. Also by the airport, Aero Camino at Hollister.

Mission Creek was pounding with rolling rocks cascading through Oak Park where it dumps out from the De la Vina curve. It starts up in the foothills beyond Rocky Nook Park.

Some of the coastal areas quickly got more than three inches of rain from the steady blast between midnight and 9 a.m. Some of the hardest rain was falling about 5 a.m.

During the morning drive hours a vehicle spun out and off the freeway at Winchester Canyon on the eastern side of Goleta.

Crews on Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara were using heavy equipment to pick up palm fronds. In many cases it was done by hand and collected into piles. The street was covered in them.

Work was also underway to keep the drains open in the lower Santa Barbara City College parking lot which filled with water this morning when more rain came down than the area could handle in the small outlet to the ocean.

A wrecked sailboat was just one of the many challenges in and around the Santa Barbara waterfront with fierce winds and driving rain east of Stearns Wharf. The mast was banging on the dredging pipe and it broke a protective fence. Many items on board including a generator, oil and fuel were an environmental concern.

“Our electricity went out at 5:30 in the morning,” said Jack Martinez is a Carpinteria resident. “I battened down the hatches, got everything covered yesterday. So we’re ready.”

For a bike rider, his regular route was drenched from Montecito through Carpinteria.

 Darren Phillips said, “No, I’ve never seen it like that before. Missed the last rain, I was away. No, it’s as deep as I’ve seen it.”

The Santa Barbara Airport had a good report card despite the weather challenges for the passengers getting to and from the terminal in the rain. There were a few delays but most were on time and for those traveling to the East at dawn that was a critical start to the day.

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