Live updates: Flood warning extended in SLO County as more rain soaks Central Coast
Update, Tuesday, 1:15 a.m.:
The National Weather Service has extended its flood advisory for San Luis Obispo County through 6:45 a.m. “due to continued moderate to heavy rainfall.”
According to the service, about 1 to 3 inches of rain have already fallen across the area as of early Tuesday, with a high of 5 inches being reported at higher elevations.
Update, 10:15 p.m.:
The National Weather Service says rainfall rates across San Luis Obispo County could be as much as 1-inch per hour overnight as the storm continues.
According to the Weather Service, narrow cold frontal rainbands were developing off the Central Coast and making their way into SLO County around 10 p.m.
Rainfall rates could range between half-an-inch to 1-inch per hour, the agency tweeted.
Update, 10 p.m.:
Another power outage is cutting off electricity for San Luis Obispo County residents, this time in SLO City.
According to PG&E, 3,482 customers along Los Osos Valley Road in San Luis Obispo are without power.
The outage began around 8:49 p.m., according to PG&E and is believed to have been caused by the weather.
The company does not have an estimated time for when power could be restored to those customers.
Update, 9 p.m.:
Several traffic incidents have been reported since nightfall, when rain picked up around the region.
According to CHP traffic logs, at least three car crashes have occurred since 7 p.m. — two on Highway 101 near Pismo Beach and one on Highway 1 in Cambria. No major injuries were reported as a result of these incidents Monday night.
As of 9 p.m., there is a tree blocking one lane of northbound Highway 101, with a large branch partially in the other lane, according to CHP.
Other incidents include: a transformer blew at Hartford Street and Oakhurst Drive in Cambria around 7 p.m. and downed powerlines were reported on Foothill Boulevard and Johne Lane in San Luis Obispo around 9 p.m.
Update, 7:10 p.m.:
The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for San Luis Obispo County as heavy rains pound the area.
Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicate moderate-to-heavy rainfall across the area, which could cause urban and small stream flooding, the Weather Service said Monday night.
Between 0.50 and 0.75 inches have fallen across SLO County so far, the agency said, with areas north of Cambria reporting more than 1 inch.
The flood advisory is expected to last through 12:45 a.m. Tuesday.
According to the Weather Service, residents should expect minor flooding in low-lying and poor-drainage areas.
Update, 6:15 p.m.:
Power was briefly restored to customers in Shandon Monday evening, but it appears that was short-lived.
According to PG&E, 924 customers are once again without power in the Shandon area.
The outage appears to be weather-related and PG&E does not have an estimated time for when power could be restored.
Update, 6 p.m.:
Power has been restored in San Luis Obispo and Shandon, while two more smaller outages have been reported, according to PG&E.
The utility company says power is out for 302 customers in Templeton and 50 in Cambria as of Monday evening. Both are believed to have been caused by the weather.
PG&E crews are working on both outages, as well as the ongoing outage near Santa Margarita that is still impacting about 785 customers.
Meanwhile, reports of downed trees and branches in roadways continue due to the storm drenching SLO County this evening. More rain and wind are expected through Tuesday morning.
Update, 4:30 p.m.:
More than 2,700 San Luis Obispo PG&E customers are also without power Monday evening, in the largest single outage reported in SLO County amid the day’s winter storm.
According to PG&E, the outage was reported at 3:59 p.m. and appears to have been caused by the weather.
There is no estimated time for power restoration.
The Atascadero and Nipomo outages have meanwhile been resolved, but the outages outside of Santa Margarita and Shandon are still ongoing, according to PG&E. This means just under 4,500 customers across SLO County are currently without power.
Update, 3:45 p.m.:
The National Weather Service is advising the heaviest rainfall in San Luis Obispo County is expected this afternoon through Tuesday at 9 a.m.
The most recent weather radar images show the heaviest of today’s rainfall occurring mostly along northern San Luis Obispo County, though areas further south are also seeing some rain.
Update, 3 p.m.:
Yet another weather-related power outage is impacting hundreds of residents in SLO County, bringing the total number without electricity locally to more than 2,000 customers.
A fourth outage was reported in the Shandon area around 2:13 p.m., impacting 924 customers, according to PG&E.
The cause of the outage is the weather, PG&E says. There is no estimation for when power could be restored to those customers.
Meanwhile, the size of the Atascadero outage has grown to include 500 customers, PG&E says.
Update, 2:30 p.m.:
Another 300 North County customers are also without power Monday, according to PG&E.
PG&E says 500 customers in the Atascadero area are currently without power, from an outage that began around 11:42 a.m.
The utility company says the outage appears to have been caused by an equipment issue. Power is expected to be restored around 5 p.m.
A separate, smaller outage was reported west of Nipomo, impacting about 111 customers on Monday afternoon. PG&E says preliminary analysis indicates that outage was caused by the weather. There is not estimation of when power will be restored for those customers.
Meanwhile, PG&E has restored power to 15 of its customers in the Santa Margarita area, leaving about 785 still without electricity Monday afternoon.
In total, close to 1,200 customers are currently without power in SLO County.
Update, 2 p.m.:
About 800 customers are without power in Northern San Luis Obispo County as of 2 p.m., according to PG&E.
PG&E says an outage was reported in the Santa Margarita area just before 1 p.m. Monday. Crews are currently assessing the cause of the outage, but say a preliminary determination indicates it is weather related.
A power pole snapped in the 9000 block of Yerba Buena Avenue around the time the outage was first reported, according to police scanner traffic. No lines were down at the time of that report, however.
Meanwhile along the North Coast, a tree has fallen across the road at Ardath Drive and Langston Street, according to scanner traffic.
CHP traffic logs have also shown reports of branches on the roadways throughout San Luis Obispo County.
Original story:
The first in a series of winter storms hit San Luis Obispo County on Monday, bringing high winds and rain to the Central Coast.
According to PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey, the storm is expected to last through Tuesday and will likely be the strongest of the season so far.
The storm came ashore Monday morning, producing powerful winds across the region, with gusts hitting 45 miles per hour at Diablo Canyon, according to Lindsey.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for inland San Luis Obispo County, including Atascadero and Paso Robles, where winds could reach up to 40 miles per hour with gusts of 60 miles per hour through noon on Tuesday.
A wind advisory was also issued for much of the larger Central Coast, including San Luis Obispo County, with winds expected to reach between 20 and 35 miles per hour, including gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.
That advisory is expected to expire Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service predicted San Luis Obispo County would see the heaviest rainfall Monday afternoon.
Original forecasts predicted the county would likely see between 2 and 4 inches of rain through Tuesday.
The storm is part of a larger system bringing rain and snow to a large swath of California as an atmospheric river stalls over the state.
Rains drenched locations around the state, from the Bay Area to Southern California, prompting a number of winter storm advisories.
Notably, the most recent storm will bring a significant amount of snowfall to California’s mountainous regions.
According to Lindsey, “significant mountain snowfall” is forecast for places above 4,500 feet.
In inland San Luis Obispo County, some higher-elevation locations could see between 1 and 2 inches of snow due to this storm, according to the National Weather Service.
Others places throughout California could see as much as 8 feet of snow through Tuesday, according to the Weather Service.
Minor traffic incidents Monday morning
A couple of minor traffic incidents were reported along SLO County roadways on Monday morning, and there were no significant reports of flooding.
According to California Highway Patrol traffic logs, a minor-injury crash was reported in Templeton at Ramada Drive and Cow Meadow Place early Monday, followed by a car running off the road on Highway 41 outside of Atascadero around 11:20 a.m.
The driver in the later crash was injured, though the extent of the injuries was not known.
At around noon, reports came in of power lines down and sparking on Buena Vista Avenue near Cuesta Canyon Park in San Luis Obispo.
Mudslide evacuation warnings issued in burn areas
The storm also brought with it a risk of mudslides or debris flows in sensitive areas around the Central Coast.
On Sunday night, Caltrans preemptively shut down a rockslide-prone 45-mile stretch of Highway 1 between Ragged Point and Big Sur, saying it would likely stay closed until the storm passed on Tuesday.
Monterey County officials additionally warned residents in the Dolan Fire burn scar to be prepared to evacuate in the event of mudslides or a flash flood during the storm.
Meanwhile in Santa Barbara County, officials issued their own mudslide evacuation order for residents near the Alisal Fire burn scar on Monday afternoon. Residents in those areas were told to leave immediately, or before sunset this evening.
This latest storm system is expected to move out of the area on Tuesday, though more rain is likely in the coming weeks as forecasts call for a wet December across the Central Coast.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 12:04 PM.
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