Several storms developed in the Pacific Ocean in the first week of February 2024, threatening Southern California. The storm would eventually pass over Ventura County and most of Southern California, causing minor flooding at the Moorpark College campus.
The first storm arrived on Feb. 1 and recorded 1.45 inches at the Campus Hills weather station near the campus.
That initial rain event helped to saturate the ground. Then, on Feb. 4, 3.22 inches of rain fell during the day, soaking the ground and flooding the quad at Moorpark College. Another 1.27 inches of rain followed on Feb. 5, and 2.48 inches on Feb. 6.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that precipitation records were broken in Santa Barbara County on Feb. 1 and Feb. 4, while Los Angeles County broke records on Feb. 1, Feb. 4 and Feb. 5.
The college stayed open all four days. The rain caused the delay of Club Rush and Student Services Fair, which has been rescheduled to Feb. 14-15.
The high winds forecasted before the storm were low and did not affect the operation of the college or classes. No downed trees could be found on the campus.
In reaction to the heavy rain, Rick Cerros, a custodian at Moorpark College, gave his opinions on the weather.
“I am pleasantly surprised at the amount of rain in a good way. We need the rain.” Cerros said.
Moorpark College is located on a hill, which can present the danger of mudslides, often occurring weeks or months after heavy rain. No storm-related fatalities have been reported in Ventura County, and some mandatory evacuations were lifted. In contrast, others were downgraded to evacuation warnings, according to vcemergency.com.
Areas of concern are near Ventura County, where the La Conchita landslide caused ten deaths in 1995 and another in 2005, both triggered by heavy rain. Another area of concern is along Highway 33 near Ojai.
The weather forecast for the following week consists of sunny days with cool nights with no rain expected as Moorpark College begins to clean up its campus.
