Rain expected all day Friday as warm storm arrives in Ventura County

A warm storm will douse Ventura County at the end of the week, according to forecasts by the National Weather Service.

The storm is part of a larger system known as an atmospheric river that is set to bombard northern California. Although San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties are expected to receive multiple inches of rainfall, Ventura County totals will average roughly an inch. The rain is expected to arrive late Thursday night and taper off by Saturday morning.

"Pretty much all day Friday we'll have rain," said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the weather service's Oxnard office.

The storm is the latest weather system in an exceptionally wet winter, with most areas already exceeding their average annual rainfall, according to data from the Ventura County Watershed Protection District. The high rainfall has led the U.S. Drought Monitor to declare most of Ventura County is no longer in drought and raised water levels at Lake Casitas to over 50% capacity for the first time since 2015.

Unlike the cold winter storm seen last month, Friday's storm won't leave snow on Ventura County mountains. Wind speeds will remain below advisory levels as well, according to Wofford.

"At this time, it doesn't seem like there is going to be any significant risks down here," Wofford said.

The rest of the weekend is expected to be dry, though another storm could bring more rain by Tuesday, Wofford said.

Jeremy Childs is the East County Reporter for the Ventura County Star, covering the communities of Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and Simi Valley. He occasionally covers courts, public safety and breaking news. He can be reached at 805-437-0208, jeremy.childs@vcstar.com, and on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Rain forecast Friday in Ventura County with atmospheric river