Flooding, mud close Highway 101 for several hours in Santa Barbara County

MONTECITO, Calif. (KABC) -- Flooding and mud on the roadway closed Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County for several hours as a strong storm doused the Southland Saturday.

The southbound side of the highway was reopened about 4 p.m. at 8:19 p.m., the California Highway Patrol announced traffic was moving again in all northbound lanes.

Highway 192 and North Jameson Lane, which parallels the highway in the area, were also closed Saturday.

KEYT reporter John Palminteri warned against trying to drive on back roads to surpass road closures in the area: "That is so ridiculous and risky to do because you just don't know what you're going to get into on the next turn. If you don't get swamped by water, you'll go over debris and blow your tires."

Though the rain has been heavy, Palminteri said the downpours haven't been strong enough to cause mudslides like those seen in the area in January 2018, though flooding is still a concern.

Homes along Padaro Lane in Carpinteria were threatened by rising water from a nearby creek, Palminteri said, and local authorities worked to ensure that those homes were evacuated. The fire department also had to free cars that had become trapped in mud.