Sunny Skies, Gusty Winds Are Forecast

Sunny skies and occasionally gusty winds are expected to linger through the weekend in Ventura County after the departure of Monday’s vigorous storm, weather forecasters said Tuesday.

Rainfall amounts ranged from a quarter of an inch to half an inch over much of the county Monday evening, with some higher elevations receiving as much as 1.5 inches, according to the Ventura County Flood Control Department.

But the intensity of the rain was light enough to prevent erosion in areas of the Santa Monica Mountains swept by wildfire a month ago, said Sandi Wells, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

“We could not have asked for a more productive rain,” said Wells, who visited the hard-hit Yerba Buena and Deer Creek areas Tuesday. “The rain was gentle enough that we didn’t detect any damage, yet plentiful enough to promote growth.”

Wells said a closer inspection of the devastated areas revealed “little shoots of grass--quite a bit of it in some areas.”

The showery storm was too warm to drop snow below the 7,500-foot elevation, said meteorologist Bruce Entwistle of the National Weather Service.

Curtis Brack, a meteorologist with WeatherData, said a stubborn high-pressure system over the eastern Pacific should deflect any storms from Southern California until late next week at the earliest.

Gusty off-shore winds are expected to develop today and Thursday but should diminish by Sunday, when the marine layer is expected to return, Brack said.

High temperatures today should reach the upper 60s and low 70s, with lows tonight dipping to the upper 40s to low 50s. Thursday should be a bit warmer.