Forecast calls for a rainy New Year's Eve. Here's what to expect

Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star
·2 min read
A shopper runs in in a downpour outside Gelson's market in the Westlake Plaza and Center during a November storm.
A shopper runs in in a downpour outside Gelson's market in the Westlake Plaza and Center during a November storm.

Southern California is on track for a cold, wet start to the new year as a series of storms are expected to douse the region over the next week.

The National Weather Service expects a few mostly dry days after Tuesday's wet weather. But some showers could fall on Thursday and heavier rain is expected to reach Ventura on New Year’s Eve, said Kristen Stewart, a meteorologist with the agency's Oxnard office.

“We have another system. It looks a little bit more potent than this last one," she said.

The storm likely will reach the county Saturday afternoon or evening and is expected to taper off after midnight. Totals could range from 1 to 2 inches of rainfall.

People hoping to celebrate outdoors may need to consider contingency plans, Stewart said.

Temperatures are expected to stay 5 to 10 degrees below normal the rest of the week. After a brief dry period Sunday and Monday, another wet system could sweep through the area.

“We're in for a pretty wet pattern for the next week,” Stewart said.

Much of Ventura County recorded slightly more than a half-inch of rainfall on Tuesday, according to preliminary figures from the Ventura County Watershed Protection District.

For most local cities, that brought totals to two-thirds of normal to above-normal rainfall for this point in the water year, which runs from October through September.

The recent wet weather brought some relief but Ventura County and much of California remain in drought conditions. The U.S. Drought Monitor classified more than 80% of the state in severe to extreme drought, according to the latest maps released Dec. 22.

A week earlier, the team behind the weekly updates upgraded much of the county from extreme – the second most severe classification – to severe.

A rainy December is no guarantee of a wet year. Last December was one of the area's wettest but was followed by a record dry period for January through March.

The county’s 2021-22 water year ended with meager rainfall totals — ranging from 60 to 90% of normal.

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

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Forecast calls for a rainy New Year's Eve in Southern California