Author: KEYT

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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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) People expected the storm to arrive on Tuesday and it did with heavy rain and soft showers at times.

Some fallen palm fronds line State Street.

At times the rain looked like snow falling on the Christmas tree near The Arlington Theatre.

Adam Angel’s namesake Adam McKaig said it gave volunteers a reason to get a jump start on poncho deliveries.

“We are out and about making sure that people are not only warm and fed but are protected from the rain, we have a nice rain in the weather right now, so we are trying to get a jump start on the rain storm,” said McKaig.

He said they will give out hundreds of ponchos to keep people dry on Christmas Eve.

“And tomorrow at Pershing park at 5 O’clock we are setting up canopies where we will serve a warm meals, nonperishable bags of food and Christmas cheer,” said McKaig.

“It warms my heart, it is cold outside my heart is warm and my community keeps us going we have a lot of volunteers with big hearts.”

The storm is likely to get heavier.

First responders are already out and about protecting people.

The Holiday trolley also made the rounds in the rain especially at the Milpas Roundabout.

Your News Channel will have more on the storm tonight on the new.

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Caleb Nguyen

GAVIOTA COAST, Calif. (KEYT) – Fire crews helped a man to the hospital after his truck rolled over and crashed near railroad tracks on Highway 101 between Refugio and El Capitan State Beaches Tuesday.

Crews arrived just after 8:00 p.m. and spent 30 minutes using the jaws of life to get him out of the car, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Union Pacific received word and stopped train traffic during extrication before resuming a few hours later, according to the SBCFD.

Highway 101 remained open in both directions, though the SBCFD closed Lane #2 going south for precautionary measures.

The cause of the crash is under investigation with the California Highway Patrol.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) People like Charlotte Heath are enjoying the showers that started in Santa Barbara on Tuesday afternoon.

“It is like Christmas and it is like is snowing,” said Heath who spent the afternoon shopping with her grandmother Jane Maurer.

“I was buying four new tires and I said we have a Christmas tree because everyone is sick in my family,” said Maurer who is also a singer at the Old Mission Santa Barbara.

As they chose a tree at Big Wave Daves at La Cumbre Plaza Maurer said she had just finished a holiday album that is available on all platforms to buy.

They were far from alone.

Educator Eban Robinson bought a tree, too.

“Last minute tree shopping, older son, cant live without a tree,” said Robinson.

He like the light rain.

“Nice change it give us a winter feel i would say. For the holidays,” said Robinson.

The Big Wave Dave crews said they would bring the few trees left to their Ventura location near the Pacific View Mall for Christmas Eve shoppers.

The rain may be coming down harder by then.

A record amount of people are heading home or on vacation before and after Christmas Day.

First responders including firefighters hope people will stay off the roads if they get too wet.

Your News Channel will have more on the storm on the news tonight.

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Caleb Nguyen

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Ventura County Emergency Office issued an evacuation order for Ventura Beach alongside warnings for several other areas starting at 6:00 p.m. today due to upcoming storms.

Warnings for the Mountain Fire burn scar, the area of Matilija Canyon/North Fork/Camino Cielo and the communities of Camp Chaffee/Foster Park paired with the beach order are in affect until 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve, according to the VC Emergency Office.

A hazardous weather advisory is also underway until 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve for Creek Road from Highway 33 East to Encino Drive where the VC Emergency Office advises extreme caution driving during the storm.

A map for affected areas is available on the VC Emergency website.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is getting ready to hold its two-day long holiday enforcement period beginning Wednesday evening.

The 30-hour patrol effort will start 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 24 and end at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 25.

During that time, CHP officers will be out in full force on highways throughout the state looking in particular for drivers who are suspected of driving impaired or are speeding.

“Every instance of speeding or reckless driving carries the potential for life-changing consequences,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Our officers see the destruction these choices can cause, and we urge every driver to slow down, stay alert, and make decisions that protect themselves and others. No destination is worth risking a life.”

According to the CHP, during last year’s Christmas holiday enforcement period, its officers arrested over 300 impaired drivers, issued 2,251 speeding tickets, including 132 to motorists going over 100 mph.

CHP added in the same period of time, there were at least 17 people were killed in car crashes across the state.

With a significant storm set to hit much of California during the holiday enforcement period, CHP is asking motorists to be extra cautious while driving during inclement weather.

The CHP is urging drivers to slow down, allow extra following distance, and remain alert for road hazards such as standing water, rockslides, mud, or icy pavement.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Winds gusts in excess of 50 miles per hour could be pummeling the Central Coast and drastically change Christmas Eve plans for many people on the Central Coast.

Forecasters in the First Alert Weather Center say the hardest period of rain for starters will bear down on the area in the early morning hours, Wednesday.

Already some trees have been coming apart with the leading edge of a long, stretched out path of rain and forceful wind going back across the Pacific to Hawaii. Debris is falling on Cabrillo Blvd. on the Santa Barbara waterfront.

The storm is not a surprise. It was seen developing more than a week ago.

Warnings have been issued over the last few days, and that has sped up travelers who are driving if they can leave earlier. The dry roads will end by tonight. The rain may not be fully gone until Saturday.

Boat owners who are not docked in the Santa Barbara harbor have been advised to come in from the nearby anchorage to the east of Stearns Wharf.

The Santa Barbara Tuesday Farmers Market has made adjustments to end about an hour early with farmers selling on what is a popular day, only from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

(There are two reports attached. Click on each dot under the picture.)

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Even with a rare Christmastime rainstorm set to soak the Central Coast this week, local agencies say staffing will remain at normal levels despite the storm coming during the holiday.

“Everything that we’re hearing from the National Weather Service is that this is going to be the biggest storm that we’ve seen so far this rainy season,” said Anita Konopa, San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services Coordinator. They’re calling it an atmospheric river, which indicates a whole lot of moisture.”

According to News Channel 3-12 forecaster Evan Vega, light rain should begin Tuesday during the day with heavy rain arriving Tuesday night through Wednesday morning. He added severe thunderstorms, hail and gusty are possible across all areas Tuesday and Wednesday.

In the area north of Point Conception, Vega is forecasting two to four inches of rain for coastal areas and four to seven inches for the mountains, while south of the Point Conception, there could be three to six inches of rain for coastal areas and five to 11 inches for the mountains.

With this week’s rain coming over the Christmas holiday, a period of time where staffing is usually smaller than usual, the timing isn’t ideal for a significant rainstorm.

“With the holidays that absolutely affects staffing in general,” said Konopa. “But our response agencies are committed to being available and they have the staffing necessary and committed to respond to the emergencies should any arise.”

Konopa said San Luis Obispo County partners met on Sunday to discuss is needed to do to make sure everyone was ready to go if and when a storm response is needed.

“The departments are looking at extra staffing,” said Konopa. “They’re looking at what needs to happen, particularly with the holiday weekend and a lot of people being gone to ensure that they’re ready to respond should something happen. Staffing levels are dependent on the organization, and whether or not people are in the office and ready, or if they’re on standby and ready, but overall response organizations are ready should something happen.”

Also in San Luis Obispo, the Caltrans District 5 office, located the intersection of Madonna Road and Higuera Street, will also have a full crew in place this week.

“Operationally, we’re fully staffed during the storm, so we have both our maintenance crews out there making sure that our drainages are kept clear,” said Kevin Drabinksi, Caltrans Public Information Officer. “We also have a full maintenance team that that responds to incidents on the highway. We are working with all of our public safety partners and the County Office of Emergency Services to prepare together and respond together to keep the roadways, so Caltrans is on their toes, fully staffed to respond this week to any incidents that might happen on the state highway system.”

In Santa Maria, it’s a similar story with the city primed to respond to any storm related issues later in the week.

“We are fully staffed,” said Hector Perales, Santa Maria Public Works Street Operations Manager. “If situations arise regarding flooding throughout the city, we do have an on call person and we’re, able to respond to these flooding situations wherever they may be throughout the city.”

On Monday, crew members with the Santa Maria Utilities Department spent part of the day completing some last minute preparations before the incoming rain arrives in a few hours.

“There is some work ahead of time,” said Perales. “The Utilities Department is cleaning out storm drains, in different areas to prepare for the rain that’s coming, just to prevent blockage and keep the water flowing where it’s supposed to go.”

The Santa Barbara County Public Works Department said Monday crew members were also getting prepped for the storm.

Maintenance crews are scheduled as normal during the storm patrolling and construction and engineering staff will be available to provide support if necessary.

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Gauchos have not received alot of offensive production from their post players this year but that was not the case in their 79-61 home victory over Portland.

UCSB bigs Hosana Kitenge and Evans Kipruto combined for an efficient 26 points as the Gauchos improved to 9-4 overall and 6-1 at home.

Kitenge was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor for 14 points which included a made three-pointer.

Kipruto added 12 points and 8 rebounds and he was 5-for-7 from the field.

UCSB also hurt Portland from the three-point line outscoring the Pilots by 30 points from beyond the arc.

Aidan Mahaney drilled four triples and scored a team-high 15 points.

(Mahaney scores in the first half versus Portland. Entenza Design).

The Gauchos got a terrific game from freshman CJ Shaw who had a career-high 11 assists and 10 points.

(Shaw played well filling in for injured point guard Miro Little. Entenza Design).

Colin Smith added 12 points as the Gauchos had 5 players reach double-digit points.

UCSB used a 19-4 run to end the first half to grab a 36-23 lead at the break.

The Gauchos return to action New Year’s Day with a Big West game at Cal State Fullerton.

The game marked the return of Shantay Legans to the Santa Barbara-area.

(Legans played guard at Cal and Fresno State. Entenza Design).

Legans is a Dos Pueblos High School graduate and is the current head coach of the Portland Pilots who are 7-6 overall but 0-4 on the road.

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