Winter Pounding

Wintry weather settled into Ventura County on Sunday, dumping 2 inches of rain, resulting in a few fender-benders and keeping most residents indoors.

Thunderstorms and another inch of rain are expected today along Ventura County’s coast and in the inland valleys, with daytime temperatures expected to be in the mid-50s.

In the mountains, snow levels should be around 4,500 feet, with gusting winds and areas of zero visibility expected.

Three Ventura residents got lost in Los Angeles County mountains while snowboarding Saturday afternoon and survived overnight by burrowing into a gulch and lighting campfires.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies rescued Roy Paul Brown, 38; John Catlan, 31, and Gerald Clingan, 30, around 7 a.m. Sunday near Mountain High West. The three men ventured into an area off-limits to snowboarders and by 5 p.m. realized they were lost, officials said.

Each man admitted to having drunk nine beers before snowboarding out of bounds, said Capt. Jeff Bradford of the U.S. Forest Service.

But Catlan said limited visibility from the snowstorm had impaired their sense of direction. “Every choice we made seemed to be wrong,” he said.

After hiking for several hours in waist-high snow, the men dug a hole at the roots of a tree and used their lift tickets and a lighter to start a fire, Catlan said. “I thought that we were going to be there for a couple of days,” he said.

They collected firewood and huddled together, but the cold prevented sleep. In the morning, they hiked back up the mountain, Catlan said.

Early Sunday, a sheriff’s helicopter located the men and took them to the command post at a fire station. All three wore layered clothing, which helped protect them against hypothermia, officials said. The men were reported in good condition Sunday, although Brown’s right hand showed signs of hypothermia, because his gloves were wet, officials said.

At Frazier Park, snow buffs thronged to Mt. Pinos, where flurries added 6 inches to the area’s 4- to 5-foot snow base.

So much snow fell in the back country that by 6 p.m. authorities were forced to close Highway 33 about 20 miles north of Ojai, near Wheeler Gorge.

And at the beach in Ventura, surfers complained that high winds made hitting the waves difficult. Only a handful of the usual Sunday crowd of dog-walkers and joggers braved the cold and wind along Ventura’s promenade.

“I didn’t even realize how cold it was until I noticed she was shivering,” said Darren Lee, 38, of Oxnard, who wrapped his 5-year-old daughter, Stephanie, in his overcoat as they headed to their car from a computer show at Seaside Park.

Other parents with children bored and antsy after a weekend of bad weather headed to favorite indoor haunts only to find them already packed.

Ventura’s Chuck E. Cheese pizzeria, a popular venue for children’s parties, was so crowded that families lined up outside in the cold and wet.

“Ridiculous,” said Lori Hamilton, 25, shivering in a sleeveless blouse. She came with her husband, Randall, her 2-year-old daughter, Elaine, and her son, Andrew, for Andrew’s first birthday party, only to find scores of other families there.

Despite slick roads and a steady downpour all afternoon, few accidents were reported on Ventura County roadways.

Ten spin-outs and fender-benders were reported in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

“The biggest problem is the roads have a lot of water on them and cars are hydroplaning,” said Mary Moody, a California Highway Patrol dispatcher in Ventura.

Major flooding and mud were reported throughout Sunday on U.S. 101 north of Ventura County, and heavy fog was a problem in the back country and along California 154, authorities said.

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Times staff writer Nedra Rhone and correspondent Holly J. Wolcott contributed to this report.