JUST YET KYRA. >> ALL RIGHT, MELISSA, THANK YOU. >> AND ABC NEWS CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT MATT GUTMAN JOINS US LIVE NOW FROM SANTA BARBARA. FIRESTATION COVERING THE STORM . IT LOOKS PRETTY WET THERE FOR, YOU KNOW PRETTY WELL IT'S ABOUT TO GET A LOT WETTER. THERE IS A CELL THAT'S COMING IN IN THE NEXT PROBABLY FEW MINUTES IS GOING TO START DUMPING SIGNIFICANT RAIN AROUND THE RANGE OF HALF AN INCH AN HOUR. YOU CAN SEE THAT ALL THE RESCUERS AND FIRE STATIONS IN THIS AREA HAVE THEIR HEAVY RESCUE EQUIPMENT READY TO GO. MELISSA JUST SAID IT. AND I'M GOING TO SAY IT AGAIN, 12 ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS IN ONE SEASON. THAT IS A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS, WHICH OBVIOUSLY BRING THAT PUMMELING RAIN. AND WE'RE SEEING THE SECOND ONE IN LESS THAN A WEEK. NOW, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WELL, WE'RE ALSO GETTING FROM NOAA IS THIS HIGH RISK WARNING OF EXTREME RAIN. WE DON'T GET THOSE VERY OFTEN HERE, BUT THIS IS THE SECOND ONE IN THE SPAN OF A WEEK. REMEMBER THIS PART OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ALONG THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST. IT'S BEEN POURING RAIN AND SNOW IN THE NORTHERN PART. BUT THIS IS THE PART WHERE FIVE YEARS AGO IN JANUARY , WE HAD THAT HORRIFIC SERIES OF MUDSLIDES THAT KILLED ALMOST ABOUT 20 PEOPLE AND DESTROYED A LOT OF MODESTINO COUNTY. WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO SOMEONE. THIS IS CHRIS MAPLES. HE'S THE FIRE CHIEF IN SANTA BARBARA. AND I WAS JUST EXPLAINING TO IT. BUT MAYBE YOU CAN ELABORATE WHY THIS PARTICULAR SYSTEM IS SO DANGEROUS. >> SURE. THANKS, MATT . SO THERE'S TWO TYPES OF STORMS THAT REALLY AFFECT SANTA BARBARA COUNTY AND ESPECIALLY THE SOUTH COAST OF SANTA BARBARA, WHICH IS WHERE WE ARE. WE HAVE STORMS THAT COME OUT OF THE NORTH SEA, OUT OF ALASKA AND THE OTHER TYPE OF STORM THAT AFFECTS US , WHICH WE'RE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF RIGHT NOW, IS WHAT THEY CALL AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER. THE ATMOSPHERIC RIVER MOVES FROM WEST TO EAST. WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THIS MOUNTAIN RANGE, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE SENATE, IS MOUNTAIN RANGE, RUNS EAST TO WEST. SO WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING SOUTH OFF THE MAP, OBVIOUSLY. SO THESE STORMS COME IN FROM THE FROM THE WEST AND ON TO THE EAST. AND THESE STORMS ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF LOW PRESSURE, WHICH IS COUNTERCLOCKWISE IN ROTATION. SO WHAT HAPPENS IS WE GET A SOUTHERLY INFLUENCE OF CLOUDS THAT MOVE UP TO THESE MOUNTAINS, WHICH ARE AS HIGH AS FOUR THOUSAND FEET. THE CLOUDS BUMP UP AGAINST THESE MOUNTAINS. THEY TRY TO LIFT, BUT THEY'RE SO LADEN WITH MOISTURE THAT THEY CAN'T LIFT. SO WHAT HAPPENS IS , IS THEY JUST DUMP WATER NOW, WHEN THEY DUMP WATER, WHAT HAPPENS IS THEY'RE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALL OF THESE DRAINAGES. SO FROM GOLETA ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CITY, OF SANTA BARBARA, MONTECITO, DOWN INTO CARPENTARIA, ALL OF THESE DRAINAGES WORK TO COME RIGHT DOWN INTO OUR COMMUNITY. AND , CHRIS , WHAT YOU WERE TELLING ME EARLIER IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE ABOUT 10 INCHES OF RAIN FORECAST ALONG THE TOP OF THE RIDGES AND UP TO EIGHT INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS HERE, WHICH IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RAIN. GIVEN HOW SATURATED THE GROUND ALREADY IS . EXACTLY. WE ARE COMPLETELY SATURATED. SO ANY WATER THAT'S COMING DOWN IS GOING TO RESULT IN RUNOFF TWO TO FIVE IN THE CITY. NOW THEY'RE SAYING FIVE , FOUR TO EIGHT IN THE MOUNTAINS AND AS MUCH AS 10 INCHES EXCUSE ME, FOUR TO EIGHT IN THE FOOTHILLS. AND AS MUCH AS 10 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS. >> OKAY, SO WHEN WE HAD THOSE HORRIFIC MUDSLIDES IN 2018 AND AGAIN IN JANUARY THIS YEAR, HOW MUCH RAINFALL IS THAT? SO WITH THAT, THERE WAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF RAIN FELL DURING THE MONTECITO DEBRIS FLOW. IT WAS LITERALLY A CELL THAT CAME IN AND BUMPED UP AGAINST THIS MOUNTAIN RANGE. AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS SO ISOLATED TO MONTECITO, BECAUSE IT WAS A SMALL CELL. THIS LAST STORM THAT HIT COINCIDENTALLY FIVE YEARS TO THE DAY LATER ON THE 9TH OF JANUARY , ENDED UP DUMPING AS MUCH AS 17 INCHES OF RAIN UP HERE IN ONE . THAT'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RAIN, 17 INCHES. AND JUST FOR REFERENCE SAKE, THAT LAKE WAS AT 36%. THIRTY SIX . 36% CAPACITY BEFORE THE SEASON. NOW IT'S AT 100% CAPACITY PARTS FARTHER EAST FROM US ARE STILL DRY, THOUGH, BUT THIS IS A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS STORM HEADING OUR WAY HERE. VERY ACCURATE. SO