Storm Puts Damper on Some Events : Weather: A few fender-benders are reported. The rain bumps up county’s seasonal total, which is already high.

An unseasonable storm swept down from the Gulf of Alaska early Saturday, dropping just enough rain across Ventura County to put a damper on some outdoor activities and cause a few fender-benders.

The heaviest rainfall was reported in the Santa Clara Valley, which received about three-quarters of an inch in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.

The scattered showers--which were accompanied by cool breezes and temperatures that dipped into the low 50s overnight--bumped up the county’s seasonal rain total, which is already well above its normal rate, said National Weather Service meteorologist Terry Schaeffer.

For instance, Schaeffer said, Santa Paula has received nearly 38 inches of rain since Oct. 1, which is the beginning of the rain season.

“This is only the third time since 1872 that we’ve gone over 37 inches in Santa Paula,” he said. Santa Paula’s normal rain total for the season is 17.05 inches.

Most of the county’s other cities have received at least double their normal amount of rainfall, Schaeffer said.

“This storm was characterized as a unseasonably strong Pacific storm,” said meteorologist James McCutcheon of Weather Data Inc., which provides weather forecasts for The Times. “It brought a lot of cold air out of the Gulf of Alaska. Northern California, especially the Sierra Nevada mountains, received the brunt of the storm. The snow level was around 5,000 to 6,000 feet,” with 10 inches of snow in spots.

McCutcheon said Ventura County has seen the worst of the storm, which died out by Saturday morning. A clearing trend is expected to continue today, he said, with high temperatures in the middle to high 60s. Cool breezes will persist throughout the day, and temperatures will return to normal beginning Monday afternoon, McCutcheon said.

Although there were no major weather-related traffic accidents or injuries in Ventura County on Friday night and early Saturday, rain-slick roads did prove to be dangerous for a few motorists in the Conejo Valley, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

“We had three fender-benders, but nothing serious,” said Sgt. Steven Bourke. “Basically they were driving too fast and slipped off the road.”

A few minor mudslides also were spotted along California 150 between Lake Casitas and the Ventura Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol. The slides did not close any of the highway.

Elsewhere in Southern California, the storm was blamed for the death of a construction worker and dozens of traffic accidents.

A 45-year-old employee of P.K.B. Construction Co. of Arcadia, a contractor for the Los Angeles County Public Works Department, died Saturday morning when he and four others and a tractor-trailer rig were swept into the Los Angeles River in Long Beach, according to Sgt. Ron Speare, of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

While not substantial, the scattered showers in Ventura County did change plans of a group of 12 Boy Scouts to tidy up a couple of hiking trails in Thousand Oaks. “They were going to make some repairs and do some cleanup work in Wildwood Regional Park and the Los Robles Trails, but it was just too muddy,” said Kathy Myerson, a recreation leader with the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

Ventura’s Canine Frisbee Championships at San Buenaventura State Beach also were canceled because of the inclement weather. Some of the contestants showed up before 9 a.m. at the beach for registration, only to find a sign explaining the event had been canceled.

Frisbee-catching dogs and their owners will have to wait until next Saturday to give it a go, said coordinator Jenise Heck of the Ventura Parks and Recreation Department.

But the morning’s ominous clouds and stiff, chilly breeze didn’t hamper the Greek Festival in Camarillo.

Early in the day, warmly dressed visitors piled into the festival site for ethnic foods, live entertainment and other activities. The festival will run today from noon to 6 p.m.

“It’s chilly, but no way that is going to stop us,” said Ursula Markuez of Riverside, who traveled north to attend the festival with three of her 16 children.

“We came prepared. We have our umbrellas,” said Markuez’s daughter-in-law, Sylvia Markuez of Thousand Oaks.

Dan Pulos and his 8-year-old son Nick were busy serving many of the festival-goers, who lined up for a cup of warm Greek coffee.

“Last year we sold out of the lemonade, but the coffee biz is booming today,” Pulos said.