SLO County school districts announce closures due to major winter storm
Schoolchildren in San Luis Obispo County will get a rainy day off as an atmospheric river storm slams into the Central Coast.
Public schools in the county will be closed on Friday due to the storm, according to district officials.
Closures come at the advice of local police and fire departments, and the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education.
“Weather models indicate intensity and rainfall for this storm similar to that of Jan. 9-10,” Superintendent of Schools Jim Brescia wrote in a statement to local media. “Because of safety concerns for students, families and employees, I recommend that all San Luis Obispo County schools modify schedules or close for Friday.”
The atmospheric river storm is expected to bring 2 to 4 inches in most areas of San Luis Obispo County, but up to 6 to 12 inches of rain to the coastal areas and foothills, according to the National Weather Service.
Up to an inch of rain per hour could fall early Friday morning into the afternoon, the National Weather Service predicted.
San Luis Coastal Unified, Paso Robles Joint Unified, Atascadero Unified, Templeton Unified, Atascadero Unified, Coast Unified, Cayucos Elementary, Shandon Joint Unified and San Miguel Joint Union school districts will all be closed on Friday due to the weather.
Lucia Mar Unified School District was previously scheduled to be closed Friday for a teacher work day.
“After lengthy discussions with the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education and the Office of Emergency Services, it appears the risk for flooding and road closures is more likely than previously thought,” San Luis Coastal Unified School District Superintendent Eric Prater wrote in a note to families Thursday afternoon. “What we learned in January is that key roadways on Los Osos Valley Road, downtown San Luis Obispo, South Bay Boulevard connecting our coastal communities, as well as Highways 1 and 101, are at high risk of flooding during these intense storms. Out of an abundance of caution, San Luis Coastal Unified School District will close all school sites tomorrow.”
The city of San Luis Obispo issued a proclamation declaring a local emergency due to the storm.
Meanwhile, the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services has issued an evacuation order for Oceano residents south of the Arroyo Grande Creek levee due to flooding.
The county is also under a flood watch issued by the Weather Service through 4 a.m. Saturday.
