It’s shaping up to be the biggest storm of the season, and it’s on track to arrive in the Tri-Counties around the middle of this weekend. It has the potential to cause dangerous flooding.
The latest tracking has a low pressure system linking up with an atmospheric river to send a giant plume of moisture onto the coast.
"The storm that's predicted to hit over the next couple of days, this weekend, into Monday, is a substantial atmospheric river," said Dr. Marty Ralph, Director of Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
As of right now, the bullseye for the heaviest rain is in Southern Santa Barbara County and Western Ventura County.
There’s the potential for 3-6 inches of rain in coastal and inland areas. Mountain areas could get 6-12 inches of rainfall. Streams and small rivers could rise quickly, creating dangerous situations.
There’s also the possibility of street flooding, even in urban areas.
The latest computer models have the storm arriving late Saturday with the heaviest rain Sunday into early Monday morning.
