Evacuations issued as largest storm of season heads toward Ventura County, Thomas Fire area

3/20/2018 (Permalink)

"Authorities issued evacuations for communities throughout the Thomas Fire burn scar as what could be the biggest storm of the season heads toward Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

The storm is expected to reach Ventura County on Tuesday afternoon or evening.

The forecast calls for heavy rain Wednesday and Thursday. The worst of the it seemed headed toward Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, where the recent Thomas Fireburned 440 square miles.

The blaze left miles of scorched and bare hillsides vulnerable to debris flows and flooding.

“These are the areas we know already are very vulnerable during intense precipitation,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA. “But this also, unfortunately, happens to be the region that looks like it will be hardest hit by this storm.”"

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