COUNTYWIDE : Front Expected to Bring Light Rain

A weak cold front out of the Gulf of Alaska is expected to arrive in Ventura County today, bringing cooler temperatures and light rain, meteorologists say.

The weather system is moving south after dumping heavy rain over parts of Northern California, said Terry Schaeffer, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Santa Paula. But it will weaken as it moves into Ventura County, bringing much less precipitation than last week’s storm, which dropped up to 5 inches of rain over parts of the county, he said.

The greatest chance of showers will come in the late afternoon and evening, Schaeffer said. Storm clouds will begin moving out Saturday, and Sunday will probably bring fair skies, he said. That is good news for organizers of Ventura’s annual holiday street fair, which was rescheduled for Sunday after being rained out last week.

Temperatures will turn cooler again in the next few days, Schaeffer said. Highs will be in the low 60s to upper 50s throughout the county Friday and Saturday, with lows dipping to the low 30s to upper 20s in some areas Saturday night, he said.

But the cooling trend won’t last long as a high pressure ridge begins to build over Southern California early next week, bringing warmer temperatures and blue skies, he said.