75
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.0M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Santa Barbara County, California: 75 recorded events between 1998 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #299 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Santa Barbara County, California: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Santa Barbara County is the 2020s, when 43 of the county's 75 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Santa Barbara County archive, flash flood makes up 46.3% of all recorded severe weather across 13 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #299 for this hazard and #9 within California, putting it in the 90.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Feb is the peak month for flash flood in Santa Barbara County with 23 recorded events, while Apr is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2005 | GAVIOTA | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 23, 1998 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | GOLETA | — | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 8, 1998 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 2026 | LOS ALAMOS | — | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | LA PATERA | — | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | GOLETA | — | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | ORELLA | — | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | ELLWOOD | — | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | LENTO STATION | — | $0 |
| Sep 19, 2024 | NEW CUYAMA ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2024 | MONTECITO | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2024 | MONTECITO | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2024 | MONTECITO | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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.
Bands of showers produced intense rainfall rates in and around the Gap Fire burn area. The West Camino Cielo sensor reported 1.47 inches of rainfall in one hour. With such intense rainfall rates, mud and debris flows were reported. Fortunately, areas affected by the mud and debris flows were protected by a fence. Behind the fence, up to 6 feet of mud and debris was reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Santa Barbara County, California?
75 flash flood events are recorded in Santa Barbara County between 1998 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Santa Barbara County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Santa Barbara County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Santa Barbara County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Santa Barbara County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/santa-barbara-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.