One SLO County spot got more than 5.5 inches of rain. How much did your area get?
A storm that developed in the Pacific Ocean hit San Luis Obispo County Sunday evening and dumped rain through late Monday morning.
The rainstorm was part of the so-called “bomb cyclone” that developed into an “atmospheric river” by meteorologists and caused major flooding, landslides and traffic impacts in Northern California.
Some northern areas saw upwards of a foot of rain, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
San Luis Obispo County wasn’t as battered by the storm — though we did see some minor flooding, fallen tree branches and minor traffic collisions.
The National Weather Service issued a flood and high wind advisory for the county through noon on Monday. Wind gusts in some areas of the county reached nearly 70 mph on Monday, among the highest across the state, according to the National Weather Service.
A high surf warning was in effect through Monday at 9 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
North coastal areas and the San Luis Obispo metro area saw the most rain, though precipitation totals vary widely across the county.
The San Luis Obipso County Public Works Department and PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey reported 24-hour rainfall totals that range from less than an inch to more than 5.5 inches.
Here’s how much rain your area received from Sunday afternoon through Monday at 1 p.m.:
- Arroyo Grande: 1.91 inches
- Atascadero: 1.62 inches
- Avila Beach: 1.13 inches
- Baywood Park: 2 inches
- Cal Poly: 2.05 inches
- Cambria: 2.05 inches
- Camp San Luis: 3.7 inches
- Creston: 1.54 inches
- Davis Peak: 1.62 inches
- Diablo Canyon: 1.6 inches
- Guadalupe: 1.72 inches
- Hog Canyon: 1.38 inches
- North Lake Nacimiento: 1.5 inches
- Lompoc Airport: 0.95 inches
- Lopez Dam: 2.74 inches
- Los Berros: 2.09 inches
- Los Osos: 2.64 inches
- Morro Bay Canet: 2.3 inches
- Morro Toro: 3.31 inches
- Nipomo East: 0.39 inches
- Nipomo South: 1.34 inches
- Oceano: 1.54 inches
- Pismo Beach: 1.55 inches
- Paso Robles Airport: 1.55 inches
- Point San Luis Lighthouse: 1.5 inches
- Rocky Butte: 5.52 inches
- Salinas Dam (Santa Margarita Lake): 2.64 inches
- San Simeon: 1.62 inches
- Santa Maria Public Airport: 1.29 inches
- Santa Margarita: 2.29 inches
- San Luis Obispo County Airport: 1.69 inches
- San Luis Obispo Reservoir: 1.61 inches
- San Simeon: 1.62 inches
- Shandon: 1.1 inches
- Shell Beach: 1.45 inches
- Vandenberg Air Force Base: 1.1 inches
Reservoirs in San Luis Obispo County saw minimal impacts from the rain, most gaining less than 1 percentage point capacity.
The rain over the weekend was likely the last the county will see for some time. The weather forecast for the remainder of this week is dry and sunny, with temperatures expected to rise to the mid-70s, according to the National Weather Service.
As of Oct. 21, San Luis Obispo County and much of California were experiencing “exceptional” and “extreme” drought conditions.
It’s unknown quite yet whether this rain will have any significant impact on the drought conditions on the Central Coast.
“Unfortunately, an early rain doesn’t mean a wet season,” wrote KSBY meteorologist Dave Hovde in a post to Facebook on Monday.
This story was originally published October 25, 2021 at 1:55 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect headline and rain total for Lake Nacimiento. Lake Nacimiento received 1.5 inches over the weekend, and the county’s greatest amount was 5.5 inches.
