Tuesday's rain unusual for June but not unprecedented in Ventura County

Staff reports
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Gabriel Valenzuela loses his footing on the slippery ramp but is all smiles during Pacifica High School's commencement in Oxnard on Tuesday. Rainfall dampened the start of the ceremony but stopped about halfway through.
Gabriel Valenzuela loses his footing on the slippery ramp but is all smiles during Pacifica High School's commencement in Oxnard on Tuesday. Rainfall dampened the start of the ceremony but stopped about halfway through.

Ventura County residents may have been caught off guard as rain dampened the region Tuesday.

It's June, after all.

"We don't usually get rain in June," said Carol Smith, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

The showers didn't set records. But it's been awhile since notable precipitation hit the area during what is, on average, one of the driest months of the year.

The last time Oxnard, for example, got more than five-hundredths of an inch during the month was on June 9, 2015, when 0.16 inches fell, Smith said.

On Tuesday, the total measured at the weather service office in Oxnard was .05 inches, while the Camarillo Airport station recorded .06.

Elsewhere around Ventura County, three-day rainfall totals for the period ending at 5 a.m. Wednesday were:

  • Lockwood Valley: .62 inches

  • Nordhoff Ridge: .43

  • Ojai: .33

  • La Conchita: .13

  • Santa Paula: .10

  • Ventura: .07

  • Matilija Dam: .06

  • Moorpark: .05

  • Thousand Oaks: .05

  • CSU Channel Islands: .04

  • Simi Valley: .04

  • Newbury Park: .03

  • Piru: .02

  • Westlake Village: .02

The showers punctuated was has been an especially gloomy June after a very gray May.

"It's just one of those things," Smith said of the persistent cloudiness.

"It'll warm up later this summer," she added, and the current cloud-covered days will be "a distant memory."

More showers are possible in coming days. There's a slight chance of thunderstorms in Ventura County's mountain areas Wednesday and Thursday afternoon and evening.

On Saturday, more widespread showers could impact the mountains and also come down into Ojai and other valley areas, Smith said.

Umbrellas pop up in the bleachers Tuesday as Pacifica High School's commencement is underway in Oxnard. The National Weather Service office in Oxnard recorded about five-hundredths of an inch of rain, which is unusual for June.
Umbrellas pop up in the bleachers Tuesday as Pacifica High School's commencement is underway in Oxnard. The National Weather Service office in Oxnard recorded about five-hundredths of an inch of rain, which is unusual for June.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: June rain unusual in Ventura County but not unprecedented