In January and February unusually strong storms hit the state and brought widespread death and damage. In January, a portion of the 600-foot bluff above La Conchita collapsed, killing 10 residents of the seaside village and destroying more than a dozen homes. Highway 150 - the road between Santa Paula and Ojai - was heavily damaged, particularly near Thomas Aquinas College, and remains closed. Highway 33 leading from Ojai to Ventura also took a pounding. Along Santa Paula Creek, one home was lost and others lost major portions of their yards when the creek - long a problem - suffered major erosion.The runway at Santa Paula Airport received major damage when the banks of the Santa Clara River - initially eroded in January - collapsed, destroying about a third of the runway. Airport runway damage was the result of not only the rain: a sandbar had formed where raging Santa Paula Creek empties into the river, and an unexpected release of waters from Lake Pyramid’s dam added to the water flow, damaging Piru Dam before traveling west to Santa Paula.The weather is expected to be clear over the weekend, but another storm is expected Monday or Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Big wet surprise with almost one-inch overnight storm
April 29, 2005
Santa Paula News
An overnight storm projected to bring scant rain turned into a downpour that brought almost an inch of rain, and another storm could be on its way early next week.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesAn overnight storm projected to bring scant rain turned into a downpour that brought almost an inch of rain, and another storm could be on its way early next week. The unusual spring storm brought .87 inches of rain, according to SPWeather.net, which tracks area weather conditions.The storm brought Santa Paula - as well as Southern California - to all time rain records. Santa Paula’s total is now just below 43 inches for the season, reaching 42.95 inches overnight.