Weather Gives a Slow Start to Holiday Weekend

Cloudy skies, sparsely populated beaches and smooth traffic made for a mellow start to the Labor Day weekend Saturday.

Fog and drizzle was forecast for this morning, with partly sunny skies by afternoon, said meteorologist Bruce Rockwell of the National Weather Service. There is a 10% chance of rain between 6 and 10 a.m.

Temperatures in the 80s are expected on the coast, with inland highs reaching the 90s. Low temperatures throughout Ventura County will be in the 50s, Rockwell said.

“I suppose everybody would like to see it 10 to 15 degrees cooler,” Rockwell said.

Record-breaking heat in Simi Valley and Oxnard a week ago was chilled a little when a low-pressure system formed in the Pacific and brought in clouds that blocked the sun and moved out hot air, Rockwell said.

The overcast skies and balmy temperatures were welcomed by travelers who have packed the county’s coastal campgrounds for the weekend, but the beaches were less popular with those out only for the day.

“Unfortunately, the weather has had an impact on our attendance,” state lifeguard John Regan said. “We had anticipated thousands on a day like today--the start of Labor Day weekend.”

Instead, slightly more than 1,000 people visited San Buenaventura, McGrath, Emma Wood and Harbor Cove beaches, he said. But Regan said last week’s hot and humid weather had warmed up the water and enticed people to swim.

The high in Ventura on Saturday was 74 degrees. It was 73 in Oxnard, where a trace of rain fell, and 78 in Simi Valley, where .01 inches of rain was recorded.

The California Highway Patrol and the county Sheriff’s Department and Fire Department reported no major-injury crashes Saturday. The CHP is operating with maximum enforcement through midnight Monday.