Another Storm Due Today in Southland : Weather: Less rain is expected this time, but large swells will continue pounding coast.

Southern California received a sunny respite from the rain Thursday, but a second, weaker storm was expected to move in today--bringing more chilly weather, rain and wind.

The latest storm was expected to arrive by this afternoon, with showers ending by early evening, the National Weather Service said. Unusually large swells of up to 10 feet were expected to continue pounding the coastline for the next several days, meteorologists said.

In Ventura County, where Wednesday’s storm washed away 420 feet of the landmark Ventura Pier, up to half an inch of rain was predicted, said Bob Cari of the National Weather Service.

“It will be a more stable system,” Cari said. “We’re looking at less rains.”

Sometime after Wednesday’s storm passed through, a minor mudslide occurred in an unpopulated area just north of the seaside community of La Conchita, north of Ventura near the Santa Barbara County line, Ventura County sheriff’s officials said. No one was injured and no property was damaged.

However, the rains, which left a brown trail of mud through the center of several La Conchita streets, have led many residents to flee the neighborhood. A landslide in the area last year destroyed several homes.

“There’s a lot of nervous people out there,” said Deputy A.C. Quintero of the sheriff’s department’s mobile unit in La Conchita. “This place became a ghost town as soon as it started raining. A lot of residents are wondering what is going to happen right now.”

In Thousand Oaks on Thursday, Mayor Andy Fox and other residents cleaned up their disheveled yards and surveyed damage after heavy winds damaged roofs and knocked down trees and fences in several neighborhoods.

“It looked like a war zone,” Fox said. “Some shingles got blown off our roof, and my wife said she saw the patio chairs slam against the sliding glass doors. The whole neighborhood was a mess.”

Bill Wiles, music director for the United Methodist Church in Thousand Oaks, said he was in the choir building adjoining the church about 7 p.m. Wednesday when he heard a tremendous rattling sound. In less than a minute, winds sheared off about a fourth of the building’s roof, he said. “It sounded like a giant vacuum cleaner,” Wiles said. “I’m not from the Midwest, but I thought we had a tornado.

“It happened so fast,” he added. “I came out and looked around and said, ‘Whoa, this had to be big.’ ”

Cari of the National Weather Service said that thunderstorms may have produced unusually stiff winds in Thousand Oaks, but no tornado had rolled through the city.

“There were some strong winds in the area, and that could have done the damage, but we did not have reports of a wind funnel or a tornado,” he said.

In Los Angeles County, temporary shelters opened at 22 sites, offering the homeless short-term protection from the weather.

“Each participant receives much more than a place to sleep at night,” said Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority spokesman James Bolden. “In addition to providing temporary relief from the elements, the shelters serve dinner and breakfast, work to help solve problems, provide job information, perform health screenings and provide showers and safety.”

* O.C. BEACH CLEANUP

Rains earlier this week washed tons of debris into ocean. B1