Flash flood alert triggered for San Luis Obispo County

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for areas of southern and central California, including San Luis Obispo County.



The watch will be in effect from late Sunday morning until late Sunday evening for the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties; the Cuyama and Antelope valleys; and San Luis Obispo County interior valleys.

Remnants from Hurricane Genevieve will move over southern California through this weekend, resulting in a threat of thunderstorms and heavy rain, according to the report.

Any thunderstorm that forms is capable of producing very heavy rain and flash flooding, with a rainfall rate of up to one inch per hour possible.

Rainfall that intense can result in dangerous flash flooding, especially to roads and creeks.



This watch includes non-burn areas, but the threat of mud and debris flows within areas that were subjected to fire are of particular concern.

The National Weather Service website reports a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight in San Luis Obispo.

Poor air quality in SLO County

San Luis Obispo County’s Air Pollution Control District on Friday urged North County employers to postpone non-emergency outdoor work through the weekend due to persistently dangerous air quality conditions caused by blowing wildfire smoke.

Air quality was expected to improve during the weekend, but conditions will likely remain unhealthy in Paso Robles and Atascadero, the APCD’s forecast says.

Weather and fire behavior

The Dolan Fire in Big Sur surged to 14,000 acres Saturday morning, growing by more than 5,000 acres overnight, according to a media release by the U.S. Forest Service.

Firefighters estimated the blaze was 10% contained, along the west side, but expect that percentage to increase over the next few days.

Looking ahead, a Fire Weather Watch has been issued from Sunday at 11 a.m. through Tuesday at 11 a.m. due to the potential for thunderstorms and dry lightning strikes.