Rain, Light Winds Expected Along Ventura Coast Today

A flow of moisture from Hawaii is expected to dump up to an inch of rain on the Ventura coast today, but the storm will probably not whip up surf, saturate the hillsides or wash agricultural runoff into the ocean like the downpour that recently swept the area, experts say.

Rain was expected to continue to fall throughout the day, said Jon Erdman, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc. Winds are expected to be light--20 mph out of the southwest--and temperatures cool--hovering in the low 60s.

But flood-control experts and hydrologists will nevertheless be watching the hillsides carefully for any sign of shifting soil.

There’s always a chance of mudslides once the ground has absorbed more than 14 inches in a season, said Dolores Taylor, the county’s senior hydrologist. Already, 17 inches have fallen this year in the Matilija Canyon area and about 10 inches in coastal areas.

“The areas we are concerned about got hit pretty bad last time--when we hit that critical point we get in trouble,” Taylor said. “This is not supposed to be that heavy, but it’s just like one more pebble on the pile.”

She said experts are keeping a close watch on vulnerable slopes in La Conchita, the burned hillsides behind Ventura and the 10,925-acre area near Fillmore that was blackened by the Grand fire last spring. In La Conchita, which was hit by a massive mudslide two winters ago and endured mud problems again in last winter’s rainstorms, some houses remain crushed by dirt and deserted.

“The Sheriff’s Department and people in Public Works are ready to evacuate them if necessary,” she said. “They are being watched by many, many people.”

So far, rains have been soft this year. These gentle rains are the best cure for the earth after brush fires because they give new grass a chance to sprout.