Storms: Here's how much rain fell in your city and what to expect this weekend

Yahoo

16-03-2025

After days of wet weather, Ventura County's rainfall remains far below normal for this time of year.
Storms swept through the county over the past week, bringing an inch or two of rainfall to most local areas. Some foothill and mountain spots topped 3 inches, according to preliminary figures from the Ventura County Watershed Protection District.
Still, rainfall totals sit around 50% of normal so far in the water year, which runs from October through September. Local cities have recorded roughly 3 to 8 inches. Normally, totals reach close to double those figures by mid-March.
Heading into next week, the forecast calls for dry and fairly typical springtime conditions, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard. A small storm may reach the region Monday but rainfall likely will stay north of local areas.
"I don't think it's going to give us any rain here in Ventura," Wofford said.
As of Saturday, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Thousand Oaks recorded just over an inch of rainfall over the past five days. Camarillo received just under an inch.
Ojai recorded nearly 2.4 inches of rainfall and Fillmore, Santa Paula, Simi Valley and Ventura received around 1.5 inches.
The county and much of Southern California just marked back-to-back years of higher than normal rainfall. The storms drenched the area and boosted water supplies that had reached record lows during a previous string of dry years.
Experts had called a third wet winter a long shot and said odds were good for a weak La Niña. The cooler waters at the equator typically mean drier conditions for Southern California. From May through December, the county recorded one of its driest eight-month periods.
The rain remained mostly a no-show into late January as Santa Ana winds pummeled the region. Without rainfall, there's little to blunt the impact of the dry, gusty winds and bone-dry conditions lead to a long, busy fire season.
In early February, nearly all of the county was classified in extreme drought, according to maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor. After several storms, the latest maps released Thursday show the situation improved, but drought conditions continue to persist.
Other than a chance of damp weather Monday, there's no rain on tap for the rest of the week. Temperatures are expected to reach close to normal with highs in the mid 60s and low 70s, Wofford said.
For now, the long-term forecast also shows no signs of any major storms in the next week or so, he said.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at [e-mail] or 805-437-0260.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Here's how much rain fell in Ventura County; what to expect next week