Light Rain Expected Today, More Later in the Week

More rain is expected to fall throughout Ventura County this week after a light sprinkle slicked roads and dusted crops Saturday, meteorologists said.

“It’s wintertime in California,” said Dennis Tussey, a meteorologist technician with the National Weather Service.

The California Highway Patrol reported little disruption to county roads and no major traffic accidents because of the rain Saturday.

“But there is always a greater chance [of an accident] when it rains, so slow down,” a CHP dispatcher said.

Tussey forecast more light rain for this morning, giving way to sunny conditions by afternoon. But Tussey said the sprinkles on Saturday of less than an inch are only a harbinger of expected showers later in the week.

“There is a stronger system moving in from the west,” he said. A significant rainstorm is expected to hit Ventura County by Tuesday, and the weather will stay decidedly wet through Thursday, Tussey said.

If the new, more powerful storm materializes as predicted, it would help push Ventura County’s rainfall for the year closer to normal levels. Levels so far are several inches lower than average for this time of year.

For instance, nearly 4 inches of rain have fallen on the Ventura County Government Center since Oct. 1, more than 3 inches below the average. Lake Piru reported a little more than 4 inches of accumulation for the year, 7 inches below normal.

While farmers and botanists welcomed the forecast, golfers, bicyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts were unhappy about being forced indoors Saturday.

“When it rains like it did [Saturday], it tends to keep most of them away,” said Tim Smith, a golf pro at Olivas Park Golf Course in Ventura. “But there are a few hard-core guys that don’t pay attention to the forecast.”

Tussey said temperatures will remain cold throughout the county. He predicted highs in the upper 50s along the coast and in the mid-60s inland today. The lows could drop into the mid-40s at night, Tussey said.

“It will get colder later in the week,” he said.

Saturday’s rain was caused by a cold front that has gripped the central part of the state for more than two weeks, Tussey said. Although it is the tail end of the northerly front, another cold front is blowing in from the west.