Live Updates: Fallen trees, debris cover SLO County roadways as rain continues to pour
Update, 3:30 p.m.:
A large PG&E power outage has impacted nearly 4,000 residents east of Atascadero. The outage — which spans from Highway 58 at La Panza Road northwest to the area between Templeton Road and El Pomar Drive — was caused by weather, according to PG&E.
It is currently unknown when the power will be restored, according to the utility company.
A reverse 911 alert was issued for residents in Oceano, warning them to be prepared to evacuate should conditions in the area worsen, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
Also, the intersection of San Francisco and First streets in Avila was flooded under a couple inches of rain, and Highway 1 at Thornberry in Guadalupe was closed due to flooding.
Another mudslide was reported in the Dolan Fire burn scar area near Highway 1 and Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The rain has continued to steadily pour down across the county. On the North Coast, well over five inches of rain has fallen in the Cambria and San Simeon areas. Rocky Butte in San Simeon has reported 7.8 inches of rain as of 3:45 p.m., according to the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department.
Camp San Luis reported 4.8 inches of rain over a 24-hour time period ending at 3:45 p.m., and the Los Osos Landfill reported nearly 5.2 inches of rainfall in that same time period, according to the county.
Most areas of the county have reported at least 0.5 inches of rainfall over the past day, with many gauges reading 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches of rainfall, according to the county.
Here’s a map of the latest 24-hour rainfall totals:
Can’t see the map? Click here to view.
Update, 2:30 p.m.:
Debris and mud covered roadways in Cambria on Wednesday afternoon as water rushed through street gutters and the downpour continued.
Mike Rice, a Cambria resident and landscape business owner, called the storm “insane,” “miserable” and “dangerous.”
Rice said that, despite the downpour, “When I dig down about an inch, the dirt is still dry.”
Toppling trees have been reported throughout the county.
One 20-foot tree fell in front of a Cambria couple’s home.
.jpg "Image from iOS (13).jpg")
Dana and Joe Navarro said they were sitting upstairs in their house talking about things they needed to fix because of the storm.
“She’s running around the house worried about this and that, ‘Oh this plant fell over,’ and I was like ‘That’s the least of my worries,’ ” Joe Navarro said while working in the front yard Wednesday afternoon.
Then a giant crack suddenly split the air and the couple watched a massive tree tumble from their neighbors’ yard.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, there goes the tree,’ ” Dana Navarro said with a laugh. “A little excitement for the day.”
The Navarros said the tree had already been leaning a bit, but because it still appeared to be thriving they hadn’t been particularly worried about it.
Then the storm hit and the tree came crashing down across their front yard, just barely missing Dana Navarro’s car.
The tree also took out what appeared to be a Spectrum line, Dana Navarro added, but otherwise there was little damage to their property.
“It looks like we lucked out,” Joe Navarro said.
Update, 1 p.m.:
An oak tree fell on Bajada Avenue near Rosario Avenue in Atascadero at just before 1 p.m. The local police and fire departments closed the road until PG&E could clear the downed power lines and broken poles.
Another tree fell near a house in Santa Margarita on I street, narrowly missing a car parked in a resident’s driveway.
Businesses along Main Street in Cambria had a problem with flooding after one of the street drains backed up and water quickly flooded to their storefronts.
“I was down here at 5 this morning and here until 7, and it was fine,” Tom Walsh of the Cambria Coffee Roasters Company told The Tribune as he and two others were trying to clear out the left behind debris in front of his shop Wednesday afternoon. “I spent a couple of hours down here and everything looked good. I went home. And then a friend sent a video of downtown with the water overflowing. That was about 10 am or so.”
Walsh said he rushed down to the coffee shop to make sure everything was OK.
“You could see water had come all the way up to the stairs right there, up to the door,” Walsh said, motioning to a stairway about three feet back from the street.
As of 1 p.m., Walsh and several other business owners along the street were pushing brooms and spraying hoses to try to clear out the debris from their stores before it had a chance to harden.
Meanwhile, the downpour continued and emergency vehicles could be seen attempting to clear some of the larger mudflows in the area before more could flow.
“This isn’t uncommon,” Walsh said of the storm and flooding. “But it isn’t common either.”
Update, 10:55 a.m.:
Park Street in Paso Robles was closed around 10:45 a.m. due to a downed power line, according to a Facebook post from Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis.
Another Paso Robles road, South River Road, was experiencing a mudslide, according to Paso Robles photographer Trisha Butcher.
And CHP reported a mudslide at the intersection of Estrella and Airport roads that was blocking the westbound lane of Estrella Road.
Meanwhile, Lewis warned that the Salinas River is expected to rise up to 23 feet Thursday and Friday.
Update, 10 a.m.
Heavy rains in Cambria has lead to flooding throughout the town, according to Cambria Fire Department Captain Dan McCrain.
A small mudslide was seen on Main Street at Burton Drive in Cambria mid-morning Wednesday. High winds stripped several branches from a large tree in Shamel Park.
On Sheffield Lane, county workers used heavy equipment to clear mud and debris from the roadway.
In the Dolan Fire burn scar area, CHP reported a mudslide at about 7:50 a..m. that blocked both lanes of Highway 1 just north of Slates Hot Springs. Though the highway was closed in that area, CHP and State Parks crews worked to clear one lane by 9:47 a.m., according to a CHP incident log.
The highway is expected to be fully blocked again by the mudslide once crews leave the area, according to the incident log.
Update, 9 a.m.:
The steady downpour in San Luis Obispo County led to a flooded road in the North Coast.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Sheffield Street, off of Main Street in Cambria, began flooding just before 9 a.m. Wednesday, due to wood blocking a storm drain.
Update, 8:40 a.m.:
As of 8:30 a.m., Rocky Butte near San Simeon had seen 5.2 inches of rain since Tuesday night, according to PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey. Only three hours prior, the North Coast area was at 2 inches of rain, according to Lindsey.
The North Coast appeared to be hardest hit with rainfall Wednesday morning, with less rain further south and east.
“Heaviest rain will be north of point San Luis lighthouse until this evening,” Lindsey said.
By 8:30 a.m., Cayucos had more than three inches of rain, while Cambria was at three inches, according to Lindsey.
Los Osos neared three inches of rain and monitors at Camp San Luis recorded 2.3 inches as of 8:30 a.m.
In Templeton, 1.5 inches of rain had fallen by Wednesday morning, causing several trees to fall.
Fallen trees were reported on Adelaida Road, Pineknolls Drive near Hartford Street and Vineyard Ranch Way in Templeton on Wednesday morning.
Further south, Arroyo Grande and Nipomo saw less than an inch of rain as of 8:30 a.m.
However, Lindsey said as the “atmospheric river sags south” Thursday morning, South County will experience heavier rainfall.
High wind, flash floor, high surf and coastal flood advisories and warnings remained in effect throughout the county.
Original story:
The rain has started coming down in San Luis Obispo County — and with it, several trees and power lines fell early Wednesday morning.
Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services said by 6:17 a.m., several trees and power lines had fallen as a result of the storm.
According to the California Highway Patrol logs, a tree had fallen down across all lanes of Pozo Road in Santa Margarita around 7 a.m.
Another fallen tree was reported at around 7:30 a.m. near Templeton on Vineyard Ranch Way near Vineyard Drive, according to scanner traffic.
The power was out for several hundred people in Cayucos, Cambria, Templeton, Creston and Paso Robles around 7 a.m., according to the PG&E outage map.
Storm prompts road closures
Authorities closed several roads throughout the county starting on Tuesday afternoon to protect drivers from potential mudslides.
Paso Robles closed River Road from Navajo Avenue to 13th Street from 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday for safety, “due to mudslides in past storms.”
On the North Coast, Caltrans closed about 45 miles of Highway 1 from Ragged Point to Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn through Thursday, as the storm could cause mudslides along the scenic stretch.
National Weather Service issues flash flood, high wind warnings
The National Weather Service in the Bay Area issued a flash flood warning in the Dolan Fire burn scar area in Big Sur, which could also see mudslides.
“Heavy rainfall may lead to debris flows and flash flooding in and near recent burn areas,” the agency said in its warning.
A flash flood warning was also in effect in SLO County from late Tuesday night to Thursday evening. The warning advised that the area near the Avila Fire burn scar in Pismo Beach “could see significant mud and debris flows threatening vulnerable roads and structures.”
Mud slides hit Central Coast in Dolan Fire, North Coast area
A small mudslide was reported on Main St. at Burton Drive in Cambria just after 10 a.m.
Just north of Slates Hot Springs, CHP reported a mudslide that blocked Highway 1. Though the Highway was closed, CHP and States Parks crews worked to clear one lane.
CHP noted in an incident log that once crews leave the area of the mudslide, the highway would not be passable again.
High surf, big waves predicted for SLO County
The National Weather Service warned that there are dangerous ocean conditions due to high wind and surf conditions along the Central Coast on Wednesday through Friday.
The storm hitting the shoreline of San Luis Obispo brings strong southerly winds across much of the coastal waters, gusting up to 45 knots, or about 52 mph, according to the Service. North of Point Sal, the winds may reach gusts up to 50 knots, or about 58 mph, according to the Service’s dangerous seas warning.
The waves in this region will likely reach 10 to 15 feet through Thursday morning, the agency wrote in its warning.
Additionally, there will be a high surf reaching 10 to 15 feet with sets to 18 feet across the Central Coast, which may lead to large breaking waves and dangerous rip currents, the Service wrote.
“There will also be hazardous conditions for south-facing harbor entrances, especially Port San Luis,” the Service wrote in its warning. “This is a rare and dangerous event, so it is best to stay in safe harbor through Friday and keep up to date on the latest forecast.”
In addition to the high surf, the National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory, warning that high tide may flood parking lots, beaches and walkways near Port San Luis.
How much rain has fallen across SLO County?
By 5:30 a.m., most of the North County and North Coast areas had seen “well over 1 inch of precipitation,” PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey tweeted.
Lindsey said Cambria, Los Osos, Camp San Luis and Santa Margarita all experienced more than one inch of rain Wednesday morning, while Rocky Butte, near Hearst Castel has seen more than two inches of rain so far.
According to Lindsey, the Central Coast is slated to get more than six inches of rain on Wednesday.
Where can I get sand and sandbags?
Many communities throughout San Luis Obispo County are offering sand to help residents prepare for the storm and prevent flooding.
On Tuesday morning, San Luis Obispo resident Taylor Congdon filled bags at the city’s Corporation Yard on Prado Road, saying he was looking to protect a garage from flooding over the coming days.
These locations will provide sand, but residents must bring their own tools and bags to haul it away. Sandbags are available at many area hardware stores, including Home Depot, Miner’s Ace Hardware, Lowe’s and Farm Supply.
North County
- Paso Robles: City Streets Yard: 1220 Paso Robles St.
- Templeton: Old County Road and Florence Street
- Atascadero: Fire Station 1 at 6005 Lewis Ave.
North Coast
- Los Osos: Station 15, South Bay Fire Department, 2315 Bayview Heights Dr and Los Osos Utilities Water Yard, 8th Street and El Moro Avenue
- Morro Bay: across the street from the Waste Water Treatment Plant at 170 Atascadero Road
- Cambria: Lampton Park, Lampton Street and Laurel Place and Rodeo Grounds Road near the entrance to the East Ranch portion of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve
San Luis Obispo
- City Corporation Yard parking lot, 25 Prado Road
- Laguna Lake Golf Course parking lot, 11175 Los Osos Valley Road
- Santa Rosa Park parking lot, 190 Santa Rosa St.
- Sinsheimer Park parking lot, 900 Southwood Drive
South County
Grover Beach: Public Works Department Corporation Yard: 1150 Farroll Road
Pismo Beach: City Corporation Yard: 550 Frady Lane
Arroyo Grande: City Corporation Yard: 1375 Ash St.
Oceano: 13th and Warner streets and 22nd Street at the Arroyo Grande Creek Bridge
Nipomo: behind CSD office on West Dana Street
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 8:01 AM.
