"It's a different type of storm than we had before, but it is definitely still potentially deadly," he said, adding that the waterlogged ground means that hillsides are primed to give way.

"There's so much saturation that there could be a risk of debris flows and landslides for several weeks after the rain stops," he said. A particular concern, he said, is high wind. Gusts as strong as 60 miles per hour were recorded Monday, raising the risk of toppled trees or snapped-off branches.

"The No. 1 killer in the last storm was trees and tree limbs falling on people," he said.

In Santa Barbara, officials used cranes to remove debris from the flooded runways, and it was unclear when planes could resume operations.

"The airport is surrounded by creeks and waterways, and those are overflowing," said Jackie Ruiz, public information officer for the county Office of Emergency Management.

The highest precipitation in the state was recorded in the San Marcos Pass in the mountains north of Santa Barbara, where 9.94 inches of rain fell by noon. Yet business remained steady at the historic Cold Spring Tavern.

"We had almost an hour wait for lunch," said Bianca Anderson, the assistant manager, adding that crowds that normally spill out on the former stagecoach stop instead packed into the bar. "We had the fireplace going, and it was cozy."

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(Los Angeles Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II and Anthony De Leon contributed to this report.)

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