Storm Dumps Up to Inch of Rain in Area

The season’s biggest rainstorm blasted through Ventura County on Thursday, dumping about an inch of rain and creating slippery roads that resulted in nearly 50 traffic incidents.

“The roads are wet, and people are going too fast and not paying attention to what’s around them,” said Officer Kitty White of the California Highway Patrol.

There was no major flooding, but there were several accidents on the Ventura Freeway by midafternoon.

Thursday’s rainfall ranged from three-quarters of an inch in Oxnard and Simi Valley to about an inch in Santa Paula, Thousand Oaks, and at Casitas Dam.

The heavy downpour hit the region early Thursday and was expected to continue into the night, according to Scott Breit, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts to The Times. Temperatures ranged from the mid- to upper-50s and were expected to drop into the 40s Thursday night.

The forecast calls for clear skies today, with temperatures in the low to mid-60s. And the weather should continue to improve Saturday and Sunday.

“We’re on track for a warm weekend with lots of sunshine,” Breit said.

Even though the county should be dry today, the roads may still be slick, White said. She advised motorists to turn their headlights on and to drive slowly to avoid fender benders. “And if they don’t absolutely need to go out, they should stay home,” she added.

Emergency crews responded to three crashes, including one involving major injuries, on the Ventura Freeway near the state beaches exit within an hour, according to Ventura County fire officials.

About 9 a.m., a 31-year-old Reseda woman lost control of her car while traveling 65 mph in the southbound lanes of the freeway near Emma Wood State Beach, the CHP reported.

The woman’s car hydroplaned, crossed the center divider and was struck by two northbound vehicles, authorities said.

One driver was trapped in her vehicle and had to be extricated and airlifted to a hospital, authorities said.

The Reseda driver suffered moderate injuries, and the other two drivers--two 36-year-old women, one from Ventura, another from Pasadena--suffered major injuries. All three were being treated at Ventura hospitals, authorities said.

Their names and conditions were not released. Excessive speed was blamed for the crash.

Later in day, about 2:30 p.m., there was a minor hit-and-run accident on the northbound Ventura Freeway just south of Moorpark Road, authorities said.

Jennifer Richards, who just moved to the county from Colorado, said she is used to ice and snow on the road. Although she said she wasn’t afraid to drive in the storm itself, she was still wary of other motorists.

“I don’t understand why people want to go 75 and 80 mph when the roads are wet,” Richards said. “They don’t understand what could happen if they hydroplane.”

Maria Solana said it took her almost an hour to get to Thousand Oaks from her Van Nuys home on Thursday morning and said the number of accidents she saw on the way was “amazing.”

“They all looked pretty bad,” she said. “I didn’t see anybody hurt, but the cars were all dented and broken up. . . . I drove even slower after that.”

Light snow fell in the mountains throughout Los Padres National Forest, but only an inch stayed on the ground at Mt. Pinos. Connie Baldin, who works for the Mt. Pinos ranger district, said she saw more rain than snow Thursday.

“It’s spring,” Baldin said. “There’ll be flurries off and on all day, but it’s just too wet for the snow to stick.”

Despite the wet and slippery highways, there were no road closures and no flooding, according to Caltrans and county officials.

Ventura residents Sidney Fagan and Dave Albert enjoyed the rainy day by going to the movies. They said they didn’t mind the downpour, except that they had just washed their car on Wednesday.

“Our car is a rainmaking machine, and we are the forecasters,” Fagan said. “Whenever we are washing our car, our neighbors know that it’s gonna rain.”

Along the coast, boaters were discouraged from entering the water by U.S. Coast Guard officials, who warned of 5-foot waves and gale-force winds ranging from 40 to 50 mph.

One 30-foot sailboat got caught in the harsh weather, after setting out from Santa Cruz Island on Wednesday night. Without power or a motor, the boat drifted north most of the night and was towed to shore by the Coast Guard on Thursday morning.

“Anyone going out in a small craft would be foolish to do so,” said Ken Coddington, the day officer at the Coast Guard’s Channel Islands station. “The visibility is poor, and there are pretty good waves and surf out there.”

The county’s Environmental Health Division also advised swimmers and surfers to stay out of the ocean for at least 72 hours after the storm’s end. Storm-water runoff could contain disease-causing bacteria, officials said.

Times staff writer Coll Metcalfe contributed to this story.