Thursday storm passes through Ventura County with little fanfare
After forecasts from the National Weather Service warned of a powerful storm arriving Wednesday night, the latest deluge passed through Ventura County without much fanfare by Thursday morning.
By midday, the agency ended its flood advisory for most of the county and allowed its winter storm warning for Los Padres National Forest to expire by Thursday night. Only the high surf warning and coastal flood advisory along local beaches extended into Friday, ending at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
As of noon Thursday, most cities in Ventura County had received 1-3 inches of rain over the previous 48 hours, while Ventura County mountains received 2-6 inches, according to rainfall totals from the weather service.
"The rain kept going even after the main storm front went by," said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the weather agency's Oxnard office.
The most rain was recorded was at Old Man Mountain northwest of Ventura, where 6.26 inches had fallen since Tuesday. Matilija Dam had the second highest 48-hour total with 5.34 inches, followed by Matilija Canyon at 5.2 inches and Rocky Peak at 4.68 inches.
Among Ventura County cities, Thousand Oaks had the most rain with 2.82 inches followed by Santa Paula with 2.45 inches and Fillmore with just over 2 inches. Other totals include Ventura saw 1.84 inches, Oxnard had 1.72 inches, Simi Valley got 1.3 inches and Moorpark counted 1.22 inches.
The storm caused rockslides to close Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County most of the day and knocked over trees and other debris, but the system moved on without significant damage to public areas.
Ventura County crews performed helicopter rescues of multiple victims trapped by flood waters along the Ventura River. Oxnard and Ventura County firefighters helped with a helicopter rescue of three people trapped on an island in the Santa Clara River south of Highway 101.
A stream gauge reading at Foster Park had measured the river near 18 feet and at flood stage late Thursday morning, the weather service reported, although the main impact was minor flooding downstream at an RV park on West Main Street in Ventura.
In the early afternoon, ocean flooding caused minor damage at some homes in Ventura along the north end of Marina Park, according to the Ventura Police Department. Large waves had apparently broken over a retaining wall and damaged homes on Greenock and Nathan lanes, Cmdr. Edward Caliento said. The flooding did not require any evacuations, he said.
On Thursday afternoon, strong swells blocked passage into the Ventura Harbor and surged into the waterfront Ventura Keys community, breaking docks and damaging boats, officials said.
Although Friday is forecast to be dry, the wet start to 2023 will continue next week with another storm on the horizon for Monday and Tuesday. The incoming storm is expected to be as powerful as Thursday's rain, but forecasts could shift by the time it arrives, weather service officials said.
This story may be updated.
Jeremy Childs is a general assignment reporter covering courts, crime and breaking news for the Ventura County Star. 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: Thursday storm passes through Ventura County with little fanfare
