Alaskan Storm’s Second Effort Packs a Punch

A Pacific storm formed in the Gulf of Alaska dumped nearly an inch of rain in parts of Ventura County on Monday, causing traffic snarls and power outages from Ventura to Thousand Oaks.

The cold front was the second part of a weather system that came through Southern California over the weekend, National Weather Service officials said.

The first one “cleared the atmosphere out, so this one was much more intense,” said Bill Hoffer, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard. “It just had more energy when it came down from Alaska.”

The California Highway Patrol responded to at least 20 accidents on Ventura County’s rain-slicked highways throughout the day.

As night fell, power outages in Ventura shut down several traffic lights, and malfunctioning railroad crossing arms on California 118 west of Moorpark backed up traffic for miles in both directions.

“We’ve been hopping,” CHP Sgt. Randy Klucker said shortly before 6 p.m. “The roads have been difficult, and there’s a fair amount of traffic because of the holiday weekend. People are trying to get home.”

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department also responded to a handful of accidents in the east county, including two with minor injuries.

The storm, which was expected to bring showers through the night, should clear the area by this morning, Hoffer said.

Rain levels varied from a tenth of an inch in Simi Valley to 0.81 of an inch in Oxnard and half an inch in Ventura, according to the weather service. The snow level was estimated at 7,500 feet.

The storm whipped up winds in the afternoon that knocked out power all over Ventura County, said Rudy Gonzales, region manager for Southern California Edison. One area in Ventura near Ralston and Victoria streets was expected to be without power through the night. Crews were also attempting to restore power to 4,500 customers in Simi Valley, Gonzales said.

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Times staff writer Margaret Talev contributed to this report.