Santa Barbara County, California severe weather history spans 162 recorded events between 1977 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 46.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,653 nationally and #28 in California.
162
Recorded events
29
Direct deaths
175
Direct injuries
$629.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Santa Barbara County, California severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Santa Barbara County, California severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 72 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 159 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Santa Barbara County, California record is debris flow, responsible for 21 direct deaths. The costliest is debris flow, with $617.0M in reported property damage. In total, 13 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Santa Barbara County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 75 | 6 | $2.0M | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 31 | 0 | $22K | 70 | 1982–2026 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $10.0M | 0 | 1997–2005 |
| Debris Flow | 8 | 21 | $617.0M | 0 | 2018–2026 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $25K | F0 | 1977–2023 |
| Hail | 6 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1982–2006 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2023 |
| Wildfire | 5 | 0 | $662K | 0 | 1997–2002 |
| Waterspout | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2000 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
| Frost/Freeze | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Rip Current | 1 | 2 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Santa Barbara County, California severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-01-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-21 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-01-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-11-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-03-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-12-29 | EF0 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Santa Barbara County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2018 | Debris Flow | SUMMERLAND | 21 | 168 | $617.0M |
| Mar 22, 2005 | Flash Flood | GAVIOTA | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 11, 2002 | Rip Current | GUADALUPE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 23, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | Flash Flood | GOLETA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 8, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | SANTA BARBARA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Dec 29, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Intense rainfall generated a large and deadly mud and debris flow in the community of Montecito, around the burn scar of the Thomas fire. Automated rain gauges in the area indicated very intense rainfall, reaching as high as 0.54 inches in 5 minutes. The intense rainfall resulted in a mud and debris estimated to be 15 feet high. This event resulted in the confirmed deaths of 21 residents (2 missing) as well as destroying 128 residences and damaging 307 others. Highway 101 was closed for days due to the mud and debris.
Heavy rain over the Santa Ynez Mountains caused flash flooding and mudslides near the community of Gaviota. Flash flood waters flowing across Highway 101 swept a SUV into a swollen Gaviota Creek. Both people in the SUV were killed.
Bands of showers produced intense rainfall rates across the Tea Fire burn area. Rainfall rates in excess of 0.50 inches per hours were reported. The intense showers produced mud and debris flows which forced the closure of East Mountain Drive south of the burn scar.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
443,701
Population (ACS)
$791K
Median home value
43
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 3, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 10, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| Jan 14, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 9, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| Oct 13, 2021 | Fire | ALISAL FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Santa Barbara County, California?
162 events are on record between 1977 and 2026, causing 29 direct deaths and $629.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Santa Barbara County?
Flash Flood, with 75 recorded events — 46.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Santa Barbara County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Santa Barbara County?
43 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Santa Barbara County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Santa Barbara County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Santa Barbara County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 99 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Santa Barbara County, California severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- San Mateo County 163
- Santa Clara County 264
- San Luis Obispo County 83
- Santa Cruz County 201
- San Joaquin County 116
- Shasta County 193
Cite this page
“Santa Barbara County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/santa-barbara-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.