Rain Expected Today, May Pelt Area for 3 Days

A storm brewing almost 300 miles off the coast is expected to move into Ventura County this afternoon, dumping up to two inches of rain on the coast and more than five inches in the mountains, weather experts said Saturday.

It will be the beginning of at least three days of sporadic showers, said Terry Schaeffer, an agricultural meteorologist in Santa Paula.

The storm, which originated in the Gulf of Alaska, should also bring unusually cool temperatures in the mid-50s and winds of up to 20 m.p.h., said Ed Wentworth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

There is only a 40% chance that the storm will begin before 3 p.m., Wentworth said, but an 80% chance that the area will see some rain by late evening.

“It has the potential for a lot of rain,” Wentworth said.

The low-pressure storm will trigger a series of rainstorms this week, Schaeffer said.

“Just . . . enjoy it,” he said.

Area farmers plan to do just that, Rex Laird of the Ventura County Farm Bureau said. A high-intensity rain in a short period may damage some of the area’s strawberry crop. Farmers growing strawberries would be the most vulnerable to a heavy downpour because the fruit could be bruised and a lot of moisture would encourage fungi around the plants. But even so, most growers welcome another storm, he said.

“They’d just as soon have the rain because they need it so desperately,” he said. “I don’t think anybody’s going to have any real heartache about it. . . . It’s going to be a godsend.”

“We’re starting to see a real nice flush on the citrus and avocado trees,” he added.