The forecast calls for an April storm to bring rain, wind and a chance of thunderstorms to Southern California this weekend.
Rain could reach Ventura County on the afternoon of April 10, but there were still some unknowns. As of midweek, the National Weather Service said the storm could show up in local areas as early as Friday afternoon or as late as Saturday morning.
“There are two low pressure systems that are coming through,” said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard. “It’s still a little bit uncertain in terms of the timing.”
In all, most local areas could see from a half-inch to 1.5 inches of rainfall. Foothill and mountain spots or any places thunderstorms hit could receive higher totals. Snow levels are expected to remain relatively high, around 6,000 to 8,000 feet.
The storm could bring periods of moderate and heavy rainfall, but also breaks in between.
“There will be lots of stops and starts with this system,” Wofford said.
When will the rain stop in Ventura County?
The forecast calls for off-and-on rainfall through the weekend. Bursts of rain could be followed by several hours of sunshine and then more rain.
“It will be a little bit wetter than a typical April storm that we expect,” said Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
By Monday afternoon, conditions are expected to dry up.
From October through December, Ventura County recorded its single wettest start to the rainy season, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
So far, preliminary figures from the county’s Watershed Protection District showed local areas received from 135% to 170% of normal rainfall for this point of the water year, which runs from October through September.
A majority of the rainfall was recorded by late December. A few storms doused local spots in January and February. After a dry March, April could see a return to above-average rainfall.
Typically, much of the county records around an inch or so of rain in April and a quarter-inch or less in May before the driest months of the year.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: April storm on the way this weekend. Here’s what that means for Ventura County
Reporting by Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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