COUNTYWIDE : Storm Passes By, Leaving Little Rain

A weakened Alaskan storm that flooded parts of the Pacific Northwest hit Ventura County late Sunday but left only traces of rain.

The storm brought only 0.04 inches of rain to the thirsty coast in light showers and bypassed the northwest county completely, Ventura County Flood Control hydrologists said. The storm dropped a meager 0.12 inches in Simi Valley, making it the wettest spot in the county.

“It’s nice, but it’s not enough,” said Rex Laird, executive director of the Ventura County Farm Bureau. Laird said the county needs 30 inches of rain to break the drought cycle of four dry years in a row.

Temperatures remained above freezing Sunday night and the county averted any frost damage, Deputy County Agricultural Commissioner David Buettner said.

But temperatures were expected to drop below freezing in inland areas Monday night and some growers would have needed to protect their crops, said Terry Schaeffer, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Because of the colder weather, several shelters were prepared to take in the homeless Monday night, but the National Guard Armory in Oxnard was still closed, pending a vote by the County Board of Supervisors today. Since 1988, the armory, at 351 S. K St., has been open on nights when the temperature falls to 40 degrees or below or when it is 50 degrees and the chance of rain is greater than 50%.

Strong winds gusting to 40 miles per hour in some areas buffeted trees on Sunday night and Monday, but caused no crop damage, Buettner said.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and Southern California Edison reported no problems from the wind or light rain.

Seas were rough with swells of 5 to 6 feet on Monday, and the National Weather Service issued a small craft advisory to warn small vessels against the high winds. The weather caused no accidents at sea, said Barbara Lawrence, a U.S. Coast Guard seaman apprentice stationed at the Channel Islands Harbor.

The National Weather Service forecasts warmer days, with temperatures rising to the mid-60s or mid-70s by the week’s end.