Vegetation in the Ventura area is already drying out, raising the risk of early-season grass fires, county fire officials said.
Brown patches have popped up on once-green hillsides as rainfall sits at 20-30% of normal and moderate drought conditions persist countywide. Some rain still could fall in April or even May, but Southern California is running out of chances. People should be prepared for an earlier start of our fire season, said county fire Capt. Kenneth VanWig.
The fire department collects samples every two weeks from stands of brush in Malibu, Casitas, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ojai to check moisture levels.
Storm drops rain, hail and snow on Ventura County, wet weather expected to persist msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The chill that is expected to move through Ventura County this week could bring rain and wind with it.
The storm could arrive by Tuesday night and deliver much of the county with as much as an inch of rainfall and 25 mph gusts.
“We have a cold storm system that’s dropping out of the Gulf of Alaska,” said Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.
“That’s going to bring a chance of rain for Ventura County Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
About a half inch to an inch of rain and gusts of 15 to 25 mph are expected in coastal to valley areas, respectively.