The storm dumping rain on Ventura County this morning could turn out to be one of the wettest of the year, officials said.

Heavy rain was drenching Oxnard, Ventura and La Conchita early this morning, and the storm was expected to move northeast into inland valleys, said Jaime Meier, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The rain was expected to subside this afternoon, but with showers lingering throughout the day.

Most of this year's storms have come over the mountains, but this one is coming in from the ocean, which means it has a constant source of water, Meier said.

The storm is expected to drop between a half-inch and an inch of rain.

The April weather pattern "has the potential to be go figure the strongest storm of the year," Meier said with a laugh.

Mark Bandurraga, senior hydrologist for the Ventura County Watershed Protection District, said he doesn't expect the storm to surpass one that soaked the area in January, but it should come in second or third for rainfall totals.

But even if the storm lives up to its potential, it probably will not pull the region out of its drought.

"We're so far below normal that this should not ruin our chances" of having one of the driest seasons on record, Meier said.

The eastern portion of the county has been the most parched, Bandurraga said. The storm shouldn't cause any flooding problems in areas burned by wildfires in recent years, he said.

The rain did cause some problems in Oxnard. About three blocks of Mandalay Beach were flooded for roughly 30 minutes when drains clogged this morning, Oxnard police Cmdr. Cliff Troy said. Firefighters had to pull one car out of the water before the drains were cleared.

Standing water in the area was still slowing traffic about 11 a.m., Troy said.

Ventura County Environmental Health Division officials were advising people to avoid contact with storm runoff, which can carry disease-causing agents. Shellfish on beaches could also be contaminated.

A snow advisory was in effect through 9 p.m. today for Ventura County mountains, where 4 to 8 inches of snow could accumulate at elevations above 5,500 feet.

In Santa Barbara, snow was reported on foothills as low as 2,600 feet.

Skies were expected to clear Saturday, followed by a 30 percent chance of rain on Sunday, according to the Weather Service. Any rain Sunday would be light, forecasters said.