County In for a Wet Weekend

Dark clouds and steady rains are expected to roll into the county today, but weather forecasters say there is little chance of any serious flooding locally.

A storm system moving down from San Luis Obispo is expected to dump a quarter-inch to a half-inch of rain on Ventura County during the day before moving on to Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. Forecasters say the bulk of the rain--about an inch--will fall on Orange and San Diego counties, while snow is expected above 4,000 feet.

With relatively little rainfall so far this year, experts say the ground probably will absorb the precipitation like a sponge, although minor street flooding is possible in some areas.

“That’s not a lot of rain for this time of year,” said Bruce Rockwell, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Ventura County remains fairly dry this year, with its channels and rivers running at less than half full, county officials said.

“We need to have major rains for hours to cause serious flooding,” said Dolores Taylor, senior hydrologist for the Ventura County Flood Control District. “You might see water over the curbs that could cause flooding in low-lying areas like El Rio.”

The only real threat of flooding, Taylor said, is if the storm stalls over Ventura County and pours rain on it.

The rain, which will turn to scattered showers over the weekend, will be accompanied by waves topping 2 to 3 feet with 6- to 8-foot swells near shore.

“I suppose surfers will love it, but if you’re taking a boat ride you won’t,” said Tom Carlson, a meteorologist with Weather Central, a national weather forecasting service.

Temperatures will drop this weekend, with Ventura County seeing highs in the middle to upper 50s and lows in the mid-40s.

The rains were expected to begin this morning after midnight, forecasters said.

Rockwell said residents should clear leaves out of gutters and ensure their property has proper drainage.

In Ojai, some residents aren’t taking any chances.

“We have sandbags and sand out back for people who want it,” said Fire Capt. Tom Weir, who works at Ojai Fire Station 21. “People came in yesterday to get bags.”

Weir said residents should make sure their backyards drain well. His department has helped place sandbags at homes of people too old or sick to do it themselves.

Meanwhile, snow is expected in upper elevations such as Lockwood Valley. County workers were out Thursday morning clearing snow and putting down sand after a dusting Wednesday.

Forecasters say the rain will be heaviest today and will taper off into scattered showers Saturday and Sunday before the storm moves into Arizona.