Rain Heralds First of Expected Storms

After a week of blessedly dry weather, moderate rain showers returned to Ventura County on Friday afternoon as the first in a series of expected storms swept through the area, the National Weather Service said.

But the fast-moving storm front is expected to leave less than an inch of rain and move on on as early as today, said Tim McClung, the National Weather Service’s warning coordination meteorologist in Oxnard.

“We may luck out,” McClung said. “The satellite picture shows it pushing through rather quickly. We may even see some sun this weekend.”

McClung forecast a second, more powerful storm would reach the county sometime late Sunday or early Monday--though he cautioned that the computer model has been fickle on this one. That second storm, he said, could linger for a few days dropping significant rain on and off through mid-week.

As rain began to fall Friday, Ventura County’s Red Cross prepared supplies and put shelter teams on standby in case of evacuations due to mudslides or flooding.

“We urge people to continue to listen and watch weather reports, and to monitor areas that have potential for mudslides,” said Richard Rink, disaster services director for the local Red Cross chapter.

Last week, floodwaters damaged dozens of roadways and about 250 homes after torrential downpours followed more than a week of steady rain.

Each day of respite since the flood has allowed rainwater to percolate into the ground and give the soil greater capacity to absorb more runoff, county flood control engineers said.

But experts warn that it will not take much to saturate the soil again. Friday night’s rain could do it.

“This will re-wet things,” McClung said, “and make things a little more dicey when we get to the bigger storms next week.”

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County Rainfall

Here are rainfall figures from the Ventura County Flood Control Department for the 24-hour period ending at 6 p.m. Friday. Oct. 1 is the beginning of the official rain year.

Rainfall Rainfall Normal rainfall Location last 24 hours since Oct. 1 to date Camarillo 0.12 12.1 6.24 Casitas Dam 0.08 25.12 10.56 El Rio 0.12 14.75 6.72 Fillmore 0.04 15.19 8.71 Moorpark 0.08 12.62 6.67 Ojai 0.04 20.08 9.36 Upper Ojai 0.08 24.25 10.01 Oxnard 0.20 13.96 6.45 Piru 0.04 15.77 7.68 Santa Paula 0.04 17.64 7.97 Simi Valley 0.08 12.37 6.37 Thousand Oaks 0.08 13.69 6.93 Ventura Govt. Center 0.12 15.25 7.15