The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management said Wednesday that it may issue an evacuation warning or order for recent burn areas Friday because of an approaching storm system.
Areas below the Sherpa, Whittier, and Thomas Fire burn scars have been placed under a Weather Advisory because of the storm forecast for late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
Those areas are identified in a debris flow risk map on the county’s ReadySBC.org website.
Currently, the forecast is calling for rainfall averaging 1-3 inches, with the potential for rain rates of .5 to 1 inch of rain per hour.
Emergency managers are encouraging residents to remain alert and prepare to leave in case evacuations are necessary.
The Office of Emergency Management is expected to provide an update on Thursday.
Caltrans also announced Wednesday that it may close the Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide areas along Highway 1 in Big Sur because of the storm.
