Intense October storm causes power outages in San Luis Obispo County

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• Winds dying down, but expect an evening chill in North County

  Winds dying down, but expect an evening chill in North County

  The strong winds that raked San Luis Obispo County on Thursday, causing widespread power outages and forcing tours at Hearst Castle to be canceled, should end by this afternoon.

  But a new weather challenge will develop: Over the next five nights, temperatures in the North County will be below freezing. The National Weather Service said overnight lows in Paso Robles and Atascadero won’t rise out of the 20s until Wednesday morning.

  The winds that blasted much of California on Thursday were the result of interaction between high pressure off the coast near San Francisco and low pressure over Southern California, said John Lindsey, a PG&E community relations specialist and Central Coast weather expert.

• Hearst Castle among homes, businesses without power

  Hearst Castle among homes, businesses without power

  UPDATE AT 2:20: Due to high winds and a power outage, Hearst Castle didn't open for tours today (Thursday), according to Nick Franco, superintendent of the State Parks district that includes Hearst Castle. Backup generators provided power, and Franco couldn't immediately tell whether grid power was back on when contacted Thursday afternoon.

  "There was just so much debris (from trees) coming down," Franco said of the decision not to open Thursday. "We expect to open Friday."

  The Cambria Fire Department, about eight miles south of the Castle, recorded a peak wind gust of 40 mph at 11:22 p.m.

• San Luis Obispo could get up to an inch of rain Wednesday

  San Luis Obispo could get up to an inch of rain Wednesday

  The autumn storm expected today could pack more rain than typically falls in San Luis Obispo for the entire month of October.

  The city’s rainfall average for the month is nine-tenths of an inch, according to official records kept at Cal Poly.

  John Lindsey, who has more than 20 years of forecasting weather in San Luis Obispo County, said today’s storm could bring up to an inch of rain to San Luis Obispo.

• Week's winds were tough, but look at '77

  Week's winds were tough, but look at '77

  John Lindsey

  I knew it was bad when I saw the photographs of overturned semitrailers near Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County. I was stunned to see concrete light poles cracked in half by the wind's force in Los Angeles County.

  Most of the time, Central Coast surfers, kayakers and beachgoers lovingly anticipate the arrival of the northeasterly (offshore) winds with the warmer temperatures and sparkling clear skies they often bring. During late fall and winter, coastal temperatures will often be warmer than the inland temperatures in the North County. However, like many things in life, too much of a good thing can be bad. So it was last week with a strong offshore wind event.

• Microclimate is perfect for local apples

  Microclimate is perfect for local apples

  If you do nothing but hang out by the ocean, you might think temperatures never change much in San Luis Obispo County.

  A review of 30 years of meteorological data from Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant reveal only about a 7-degree temperature change from the average minimum low of 53 degrees overnight to the average maximum high of 60 degrees.

  However, just slightly away from the immediate coastline, temperatures can vary greatly. Farther inland, North County valleys can see overnight temperatures reach into the single digits during the winter and more than 100 degrees during the summer.