Countywide : 2 Storms Forecast; Flooding Feared

Weather forecasters on Tuesday were calling for anywhere from two to 14 inches of rain in parts of Ventura County by Saturday as two powerful subtropical storms are poised to sweep through in quick succession.

The possibility of heavy rainfall prompted county emergency and flood control officials to warn residents to sandbag flood-prone areas and to stay away from waterways over the next several days.

“We are telling people not to panic but to take all precautions and to keep their eyes and ears open for possible trouble,” said John Weikel, a Ventura County Flood Control District hydrologist. Light rain from the first system was expected to begin falling late Tuesday and continue through today, bringing less than half an inch of precipitation, flood control officials said.

But that will be followed on Thursday by a more powerful storm that could dump up to six inches of rain in coastal areas and as much as 14 inches in the mountains by Saturday, Weikel said.

“We’re all standing up and taking notice because we know the ground is already soaked,” he said. “If we get a few intense cloudbursts, we will see some serious flooding.”

A meteorologist for WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times, predicted lower rainfall totals. Coastal areas could get between two and four inches of rain--and the mountainous regions up to seven inches of rain--by Saturday, meteorologist Dean Jones said. But forecasters agreed that any heavy rainfall could trigger disastrous mudslides and flooding in ground saturated from a series of storms over the past six weeks.

Since Oct. 1, Ventura County has received more than 49 inches of rain in the mountains and about 17 inches in coastal areas, Weikel said. Those amounts are about double the normal rainfall for this time of year, he said.

The Ventura County Office of Emergency Services distributed flood warning notices Tuesday morning to about two dozen residents who live near Coyote Creek in Casitas Springs. The creek is in the flood plain for Lake Casitas, which could top its spillway by Friday, Weikel said. Residents were warned to remove property and animals from along the creek bed, he said.

Emergency officials also warned residents who have experienced previous flooding to take precautions by sandbagging vulnerable areas before the brunt of the storms hits, sometime Thursday or Friday.

Sheriff Larry Carpenter warned residents and visitors to stay away from flood control channels, streams, rivers and mountain areas at least through the weekend. Swift currents can quickly overpower an adult and debris can cause serious injury, Carpenter said.

A Oxnard farm worker was killed last week when he tried to cross Conejo Creek, swollen from a storm that brought five inches of rain.