Showers Expected to Continue Today

A storm dumping about one-third of an inch of rain moved quickly through Ventura County on Tuesday afternoon but was expected to be followed by scattered showers through tonight, forecasters said.

Snow fell at elevations as low as 1,500 feet Tuesday, dropping up to 2 inches at Wheeler Gorge in Los Padres National Forest and 3 inches in Frazier Park.

“It snowed for about an hour, and it’s really beautiful, coating our palm trees, the buildings and the hills,” said Lanny Kaufer at Wheeler Hot Springs. “It was the most snow in a decade here.”

Cold weather, nearing freezing at night, also gripped the rest of the region Tuesday. But temperatures will begin to warm and should be nearly normal by Saturday, said meteorologist Michael Most of the National Weather Service.

The rain and snow were caused by cold air from western Canada flowing down to California and picking up moisture from the ocean, Most said.

However, the jet stream is shifting and will bring in milder Pacific air, increasing temperatures by up to 5 degrees each day for the rest of the week, Most said.

Showers are expected to end by late tonight, and clear skies are expected from Thursday through the weekend, Most said.

A rash of traffic accidents was triggered by the short rainstorm, but none of them were serious, the California Highway Patrol said.

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County Rainfall

Here are rainfall figures from the Ventura County Flood Control Department for the 24-hour period ending at 7 p.m. Tuesday . Oct. 1 is the beginning of the official rain year.

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Rainfall Rainfall Normal rainfall Location last 24 hours since Oct. 1 to date Camarillo 0.35 8.32 9.49 Casitas Dam 0.47 15.00 16.92 Casitas Rec. Center 0.39 13.62 17.07 Fillmore 0.35 12.10 13.68 Matilija Dam 0.43 17.25 19.46 Moorpark 0.31 9.61 10.36 Upper Ojai NA NA 16.62 Oxnard 0.31 9.16 10.43 Piru 0.20 9.51 12.17 Port Hueneme 0.24 7.21 10.22 Santa Paula 0.35 10.83 12.83 Simi Valley 0.28 9.44 10.03 Thousand Oaks 0.20 9.62 10.86 Ventura Govt. Center 0.35 10.71 11.53

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