000 WGUS86 KLOX 280754 FLSLOX CAZ034>036-039-040-044>047-052>054-088-281000- FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 1155 PM PST MON DEC 27 2004 ...FLASH FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE GAVIOTA BURN AREA IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY UNTIL 200 AM PST TUESDAY... ...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM PST TUESDAY FOR COASTAL AND VALLEY AREAS OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES AND FOR THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS... ...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY FOR COASTAL AREAS OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY AND NORTHERN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY AND THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY... ...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY FOR THE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND SOUTH COAST... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY FOR THE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST... INCLUDING THE GAVIOTA BURN AREA... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM PST TUESDAY FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS OF VENTURA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE BURN AREAS... A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT SERIOUS AND POSSIBLY LIFE-THREATENING FLOODING IS IMMINENT. THERE MAY ALSO BE SIGNIFICANT FLOWS OF MUD AND DEBRIS. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICIALS AND EVACUATE IF REQUESTED TO DO SO. PERSONS IN THE WARNING AREA SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY...WITHOUT WAITING FOR INSTRUCTIONS... IF HEAVY FLOWS OF WATER OR DEBRIS ARE OBSERVED IN THEIR AREA. A FLOOD ADVISORY MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING...BUT IS NOT IMMEDIATELY LIFE-THREATENING. IT IS GENERALLY IN THE FORM OF STREET FLOODING OR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS FIELDS OR UNDERPASSES. RESIDENTS MUST STILL USE GOOD JUDGEMENT AND AVOID FLOODED AREAS. A FLOOD WATCH MEANS FLOODING IS POSSIBLE BUT NOT IMMINENT IN THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS SHOULD STAY ABREAST OF THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED OR FLOODING IS ENCOUNTERED. AT 1145 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADARS INDICATED A BAND OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF ONE INCH PER HOUR SPREADING ACROSS SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY. THIS HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE GAVIOTA BURN AREA THROUGH 200 AM PST TUESDAY... AND IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING AND MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS. ELSEWHERE...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADARS SHOWED WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WITH POCKETS OF HEAVY RAIN ACROSS SAN LUIS OBISPO...SANTA BARBARA...VENTURA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES COUNTIES. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE HEAVY AT TIMES ACROSS THIS AREA THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. RAINFALL RATES ACROSS THE AREA WERE GENERALLY AVERAGING TWO TO FOUR TENTHS OF AN INCH PER HOUR...WITH LOCAL RAINFALL RATES BETWEEN ONE HALF INCH AND ONE INCH PER HOUR IN HEAVIER RAIN BANDS. OVERNIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY...RAINFALL RATES ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE ACROSS THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AREA...WITH RATES OF ONE HALF TO ONE INCH PER HOUR BECOMING COMMON. DURING THE PEAK OF THE STORM EARLY TUESDAY MORNING...RAINFALL RATES COULD LOCALLY REACH ONE AND ONE HALF INCHES PER HOUR ACROSS THE FAVORED SOUTH FACING SLOPES AND FOOTHILLS. DUE TO THE STRONG LOW LEVEL SOUTHERLY FLOW...THE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST AND SANTA YNEZ RANGE WILL REMAIN ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO HEAVY RAINFALL. THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR VERY HIGH RAINFALL RATES. THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BE CONVERTED TO A FLASH FLOOD WARNING OVERNIGHT IF AND WHERE MORE SERIOUS OR LIFE THREATENING FLOODING BECOMES IMMINENT. THE BURN AREAS WILL BE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO FLASH FLOODING...WITH MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS POSSIBLE. RAIN MAY DECREASE SOME ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...BUT ANOTHER ROUND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN IS FORECAST TO SPREAD INTO AREA TUESDAY NIGHT. TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH WEDNESDAY ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM TWO TO SIX INCHES AT LOWER ELEVATIONS...WITH SIX TO TWELVE INCHES EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...WITH HIGHEST TOTALS EXPECTED ACROSS SANTA BARBARA COUNTY. AS OF 1145 PM...SOME OF THE HIGHEST RAINFALL TOTALS ACROSS SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY INCLUDE CELITE (6.57 INCHES)...OLD MAN MOUNTAIN (7.44 INCHES)...AND RANCHO SAN JULIAN (6.18 INCHES). IN VENTURA COUNTY...SOME OF THE HIGHEST RAINFALL TOTALS INCLUDE UPPER MATILIJA CANYON (5.20 INCHES) AND SISAR PEAK (4.45 INCHES). STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA SOURCE FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. $$ BRUNO/ASR