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Storm not making the big splash in the Tri-Counties which was expected

The rain slowed up traffic for commuters between Oxnard and Camarillo Tuesday night.
Lance Orozco
/
KCLU
The rain slowed up traffic for commuters between Oxnard and Camarillo Tuesday night.

Evacuation orders lifted in Santa Barbara County's burn areas Tuesday night.

The major storm system hitting the Tri-Counties brought significant rainfall to the region, but wasn’t the blockbuster which was predicted.

It’s not over yet, but it appears rainfall totals will be much lower than predicted. The forecast originally said we might see 2-5” of rain on the coast and inland, with 3-6” in the mountains.

But, the totals as of 6 p.m. Tuesday are much lower.

In Ventura County, Oxnard had 1.1” of rain, Camarillo an inch, and Ojai 1.5”. In Santa Barbara County, Los Olivios had 1.3” of rain, Santa Barbara 2.3”, and Carpinteria 1.8”. And, in San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo had an even 2”, and Pismo Beach 1.3”

Meteorologists say the atmospheric river didn’t hit the South Coast as expected. They also say the storm moved faster than predicted, which means lower rainfall totals.

All evacuation orders from brush fire burn areas in Santa Barbara County were lifted at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The rain is expected to turn into showers, which should wrap up Wednesday.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.