Live Updates: Paso Robles water rescue, SLO County roads remain flooded, weather forecast
Update 4:30 p.m.:
The Paso Robles Police Department and Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services rescued a person who was stranded in the Salinas riverbed due to rising water levels on Thursday afternoon.
Power was restored in the Santa Margarita area for hundreds of PG&E customers who had been without power since Wednesday night.
Though the winter storm continued to pound the Central Coast on Thursday, less rain fell in the North Coast areas than on Wednesday, according to the San Luis Obispo Public Works Department. South County areas, however, saw more rain on Thursday than on Wednesday, the public works department’s data show.
Here are some rain accumulation totals for the county over a 12-hour time period ending at 4:30 p.m.:
- Rocky Butte - 2.6 inches
- Cambria - 1.5 inches
- Templeton - 1.61 inches
- Atascadero - 1.34 inches
- Los Osos - 1.54 inches
- San Luis Obispo Reservoir - 2.01 inches
- Oceano - 1.61 inches
- Lopez Dam - 2.07 inches
- Nipomo East - 2.32 inches
- Nipomo South - 1.89 inches
Update 3:30 p.m.:
The Paso Robles Police Department and Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services responded to a water rescue near the Niblick Road Bridge around 2 p.m. where a person was reportedly stranded in the Salinas River riverbed below.
Emergency responders blocked lanes in the area while they responded to the scene.
As of 2:50 p.m. the rescue was still underway.
Multiple roadways across San Luis Obispo County have been completely blocked or partially closed due to heavy flooding.
In Oceano, Strand Way was blocked due to flooding.
Santa Rosa Creek Road past Coast Union High School in Cambria was also flooded, though it remained open.
PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey said the rain showers will continue Thursday evening and last through Friday afternoon. However, coastal areas can expect thunderstorms and maybe some hail in the early hours of Friday morning just after midnight, Lindsey said.
The wind has decreased significantly from Wednesday night, Lindsey said, and now some coastal areas are seeing sustained winds of about 25 to 30 mph.
The winter storm has been “significant” so far, Lindsey said. It brought many North Coast areas like Cambria and Rocky Butte up to about half their average rainfall accumulation levels.
By Saturday morning, the rain in San Luis Obispo County will likely have stopped, and there is no chance for future showers until perhaps Tuesday morning, Lindsey said.
Update 2 p.m.:
The North Beach campground in Pismo Beach was completely flooded by Thursday afternoon. Ducks swam around in the couple inches of rain that covered the RV camping sites, and signs blocked entry to the campground.
Some areas along Highway 1 through Pismo and Grover Beach saw some flooding as well, and the entrance to the Monarch Grove was covered in mud and debris.
Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area was closed to vehicles Thursday due to severe weather.
Captains at two fire departments with stations in Cambria estimate that they’ve been called out on more than 50 calls for downed trees and powerlines, flooding and other weather-related issues.
Cal Fire Captain Monte Phelps said that total doesn’t include downed trees that they saw and removed from the roadway, but for which they hadn’t been sent out by dispatch.
Phelps described one incident where they “rescued a guy from his car on Windsor this morning. He was standing on his roof, we just slid him into the fire truck” and drove him out of the flood zone.
Several small car crashes on Highway 101 from Santa Margarita to Nipomo slowed traffic in some areas. In one crash, an Arroyo Grande Police Department cruiser crashed into a two-door Honda, according to Caltrans.
There is flooding on Highway 101 in some areas, according to San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office scanner traffic Thursday afternoon.
Update 11:30 a.m.:
In Avila Beach, the San Luis Obispo Creek swelled with rushing water along Avila Beach Drive and the Bob Jones Trail. The creek rose to about five feet below street level as of 11:30 a.m.
The onslaught of rain also flooded part of the Avila Beach Golf Resort on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in Santa Margarita, residents were dealing with the storm without electricity.
By Thursday morning, many Santa Margarita residents had been without power since the previous night.
But a few still ventured out downtown to check their mail and pick up essentials at Margarita Plaza Liquor and Delicatessen.
The store was dark, with only natural light from the doorway and a candle on the counter near the cash register to illuminate the space.
Mais Maida, a cashier and manager, said she opened the store to allow people to come in and get groceries without having to drive far in the wet weather.
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Maida said customers had been coming in to pick up candles, batteries, flashlights and even ice.
Many of the store’s refrigerated goods were in the freezer to make sure they stayed cold, she said.
“It’s good for us, but when the power (is) out, I don’t want our stuff to be ruined or anyone to be injured,” she said.
Tim Reed, who runs the Pozo Saloon, popped into the store to grab some snacks before going to fix shingles that had blown off the roof.
Jovane Sanchez was also out and about picking up his mail and figuring out whether to drive to Atascadero or San Luis Obispo for internet access.
Sanchez said he’s going back to school at Cuesta College and needs online access to complete schoolwork.
He said his family’s home lost power at about 9 p.m. on Wednesday night.
The last time he saw similar weather was 16 or 17 years ago, when his garage flooded. The family has since elevated the space and uses it only for storage to prevent more water damage.
Update 11:15 a.m.:
Homes in the 2400 block of Sherwood Road in Cambria have began to flood, according to some residents, including Dianna Scouras.
“It has been pooling up,” Scouras said. “.... It’s not good but the house is habitable.”
Her neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said drainages were blocked by mud allowing water to collect around and spill into homes.
Update 10:30 a.m.:
Cambria Community Service Director board president Cindy Steidel posted a storm warning to Facebook urging people to shelter in place.
According to the post, Santa Rosa Creek overflowed, pushing water onto the Windsor Boulevard bridge.
The creek’s overflow was also seen merging with ocean water near Moonstone Beach.
Windsor Boulevard and the 600 block of Main Street were both closed. And while Cambria’s emergency access road was opened at both the Park Hill and Lodge Hill access points, Steidel warned, the rain may deem the road unpassable.
“The safest course of action is to shelter-in-place until County Roads deems it safe to reopen Windsor Boulevard,” the post read. ”If you choose to leave, be advised that you may not be able to immediately return to your home due to deteriorating road conditions.”
High winds have also posed an issue for North Coast residents.
Cambria resident Gloria Fiscalini said the wind blew off more than 50 feet of tin and rafters from her barn on Green Valley Road off Highway 46.
“One section fell on Jimmy (a horse), but he was able to scoot out,” Fiscalini said.
Update 10:15 a.m.:
According to the National Weather Service, rain in San Luis Obispo County was falling at a rate of 0.1 to 0.5 inches per hour as of 9 a.m.
However, one tourist in Cambria didn’t seem to mind the heavy rainfall.
Matt Hubble, 36, said he came to the coast from Fresno to celebrate his birthday Thursday.
“It’s raining everywhere. We just thought we might be at the beach,” Hubble said. “The only thing this storm is missing is the lightning.”
Hubble and his partner were among the only people outside at Moonstone Beach in Cambria on Thursday morning.
Waves crashed along the cliffside, flooding the beach and stirring up driftwood and debris.
Several people pulled up to the beach to watch the tumultuous waves from the safety of their cars.
Farther inland, on Main Street, workers attempted to clear drainage areas to avoid the road from flooding.
The National Weather Service said rain is expected to move south and east throughout the day.
Update 9 a.m.:
Highway 1 through Big Sur will now remain closed through Friday, according to Caltrans. The nearly 45-mile stretch from Ragged Point to just south of Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn has been closed since Tuesday.
Caltrans said an evacuation order has been issued for all areas below the Dolan Fire burn scar.
Follow here for updates on road closures and flooding throughout SLO County.
Original story:
The second day of a major winter storm in San Luis Obispo County dawned Thursday with North Coast areas taking the brunt of the impact from flooding and power outages..
Residents in Cambria, San Simeon and Harmony who experienced power outages Wednesday afternoon were still without power Thursday morning, according to the PG&E outage map.
Flooding in Cambria’s West Village by the Old Cambria Village Marketplace was about hubcap-high with rain intensity picking up once more around 7:45 a.m. Thursday.
San Luis Obispo County Public Works announced flooding and road closures at Main Street from Windsor Boulevard to Cambria Drive in Cambria. Windsor Bridge, between Highway 1 and Shamel Park, is also closed.
By 7 a.m. the California Highway Patrol reported several other flooded roadways throughout SLO County, including Grand Avenue near Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo and Highway 101 at the the Camp Roberts off-ramp.
San Luis Obispo County Public Works also announced road closures at North River Road from Wellsona Road to Estrella Road in Paso Robles.
Meanwhile, more than 600 Santa Margarita customers who lost power Wednesday afternoon were without power as of Thursday morning, according to the PG&E outage map.
PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey tweeted at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday that European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and Global Forecast System models predicted the Central Coast would see an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain Thursday — significantly less than reported the day prior.
Wednesday’s downpour wreaked havoc across San Luis Obispo County, downing power lines and trees, causing small mudslides and flooding roads throughout the county.
For most of Wednesday morning, the storm hit the North Coast hardest, spreading south throughout the day.
As of Wednesday at 4 p.m., Rocky Butte in the mountains northwest of San Simeon recorded more than 8 inches of rain in a 24-hour period — the most in San Luis Obispo County.
Going down the coast, San Simeon saw about 5.55 inches of rain, and Cambria received 5.91 inches of rain in that 24-hour time period ending at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The Los Osos Landfill saw 5.59 inches, Camp San Luis measured just over 5 inches of rain and Cal Poly received 2.38 inches in that same period. Diablo Canyon and Point San Luis Lighthouse both saw just about 2.5 inches of rain in the 24-hour time period that ended Wednesday at 4 p.m.
From Arroyo Grande to the Nipomo area, just 0.6 to 1.55 inches of rain were measured in that 24-hour time period.
By 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Rocky Butte had seen more than 10 inches of rain and Cambria had passed 8 inches, according to Lindsey.
Can’t see the map? Click here to view.
National weather service issues high surf, wind, flood advisories
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the North Coast areas of Cambria, Cayucos and San Simeon overnight, as close to 1 inch of rain per hour was expected to fall on the region.
That warning was in effect until 4 a.m. Thursday.
Meanwhile, a flood advisory was issued for most of San Luis Obispo County through 5:45 a.m. The National Weather Service warned that flooding was especially possible in the area of the Avila Fire burn scar.
The National Weather Service also issued a wind advisory for San Luis Obispo County’s interior valleys and the Cuyama Valley through 4 p.m. Thursday, warning of winds between 20 and 30 miles per hour and gusts of up to 60 miles per hour.
The wind advisory included parts of Highway 101, State Route 45 and Highway 166 in Cuyama Valley.
A high surf advisory was also issued in SLO County, warning of 10 to 16 foot waves breaking Thursday through early Friday morning. The advisory said flooding is expected during high tide, especially near Port San Luis.
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 28, 2021 at 8:11 AM.
