Flood, Mudslide Warnings Toned Down : Weather: An anticipated storm doesn’t arrive. But a second, stronger one heading straight for the region could move onshore today.

As the week’s first anticipated storm failed to materialize, Ventura County flood control officials on Wednesday toned down earlier warnings of possible flooding and mudslides.

Flood control district forecasters on Wednesday called for more than six inches of rain in mountainous regions of the county by Saturday, far less than the 14 inches predicted just a day earlier.

Coastal areas should receive no more than three inches spread out over today and Friday, said John Weikel, a Ventura County Flood Control District hydrologist. “It’s a significant amount, but the intensities are expected to be quite low and it shouldn’t present any flooding problems.”

A weak subtropical storm that was expected to hit Ventura County Wednesday lost strength as it moved inland, said Dean Jones, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which does forecasts for The Times.

Scattered sprinkles fell over parts of the county, but left no measurable rainfall by late Wednesday.

But Jones said that a second storm expected to move onshore this morning is much stronger and is headed straight for Southern California. “It looks a lot more vigorous,” he said.

Weikel said the county’s flood control office downgraded rainfall totals after getting a better look at the storm system as it moved closer to the mainland. Computer models showed that the system is not carrying as much moisture as they had earlier anticipated.

“The closer it gets, the better perspective we have on possible rainfall amounts,” he said.

Despite the revised predictions, officials still warned residents to prepare for the possibility of minor flooding because the ground is saturated from a series of storms. Any additional heavy rainfall could cause problems with mudslides, rockslides and flooding, Jones said.

Ventura County hydrologist Vicki Musgrove said that about two dozen residents who live along Coyote Creek should stay on alert because Lake Casitas is expected to top its spillway by Saturday, even with lower rainfall amounts.

On Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies distributed notices warning about two dozen property owners along Coyote Creek to prepare for possible flooding after the dam begins to spill.

“They should not be alarmed, but they should be on the lookout,” Musgrove said.

Longtime residents along Coyote Creek showed little concern Wednesday about county warnings, although some of the newer neighbors prepared for the worst.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” said Roy Scuitti, 79, scoffing at any threat of flooding. A resident along Coyote Creek since 1959, he said that the worst damage he ever saw was when a neighbor once tried to drive a car across the rain-swollen creek.

“He made it,” Scuitti said. “The car didn’t.”

Meanwhile, Kim Blackmun-Eck spent the afternoon clearing out a drainage ditch placed behind her garage after her property flooded last February. As long as the ditch is clear, she said, her garage faces little threat of further water damage. “Even so, I’ve been paying attention,” she said.

Gary Masburn, a real estate investor who recently bought a house on the creek, spent part of Wednesday keeping an eye on his property. “I’ve heard two or three versions of what might happen,” he said. “It’s hard to know who to believe.”

Next door, teen-ager Marrie Murphy said that if the creek overflows she and her family will move her horse Natasha to higher ground in Ojai. “If it floods I’ll take my horse to the Humane Society in Ojai and go to a hotel.”

Shower activity should be heaviest Friday before tapering off Saturday, Jones said. Sunday may bring a break in the storms, but another system could hit California Monday, bringing light showers to portions of the county, he said.

Although the threat of flooding is greatly diminished, Weikel said county officials will maintain a vigilant watch over their computer-aided models showing water flow through rivers and creeks.

The county has received more than twice the normal rainfall for this time of year, presenting a dangerous condition, he said.

“We’re not going to relax until these storms are history,” he said.

Times staff writer Sara Catania contributed to this story.