More rain on the way in Ventura County. Here's what to expect

Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star
·2 min read
Rain drops glide across a windshield as cars drive along Los Angeles Avenue in Moorpark as intermittent showers hit Ventura County last week.
Rain drops glide across a windshield as cars drive along Los Angeles Avenue in Moorpark as intermittent showers hit Ventura County last week.

Ventura County’s rainy season will hang around a little longer with yet another storm on the way later this week.

After some breezy Santa Ana winds and warmer temperatures Monday, rain is expected to reach Ventura on Tuesday night. Around a quarter-inch of rain could fall overnight, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

“By the time people get up Wednesday morning, the rain will have stopped,” he said. “But we're expecting scattered showers behind that, particularly later Wednesday into Thursday.”

Ventura County likely will see some sun on Wednesday. But later in the day, the rain is expected to pick up again.

“It is going to be really scattered,” Wofford said of that part of the system. “Some places might get very little. Some places might get more.”

In all, the storm could bring as much as a half-inch to an inch of rainfall in coastal and valley areas and 1 to 2 inches in the mountains, according to initial estimates. Snow levels are expected to drop a little lower Wednesday, but the forecast calls for less than 6 inches in local mountains.

After years of drought conditions, the region already has claimed one of its wettest seasons in more than a decade.

As of Monday, much of the county’s rainfall ranged from 180% to 210% of normal for this point in the water year, which runs from October through September. The 2005 season was the last time more rainfall was recorded for much of the county.

Heading into the latest storm, Matilija Canyon, Moorpark, Ojai and Piru had recorded more than double their normal rainfall, according to preliminary figures from the Ventura County Watershed Protection District.

But after the rain clears out Thursday, the county can expect a little bit of a dry break, Wofford said. For now, no additional rain shows up in the forecast for at least the next week, he said.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Late season rain on the way. Here's what to expect