Live updates: Wind, high surf advisories in effect as storm lingers over SLO County
Update, 3 p.m.:
PG&E Meteorologist John Lindsey said the storm as a whole is expected to dissipate by about 7 p.m., though scattered showers throughout the day could result in both thunder and rainbows until then.
A National Weather Service wind advisory is still in effect for parts of inland San Luis Obispo County, including Paso Robles and Atascadero, as winds could reach between 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour.
Isolated gusts of up to 60 miles per hour are possible in some areas.
That advisory is set to expire at 8 p.m.
Meanwhile a high surf advisory is also into effect until 10 p.m. Tuesday, with the potential for large breaking waves of between 10 an 13 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
As the wind began to pick up again Tuesday afternoon in Cambria, with more storm cells aimed that way, people were assessing damage, mopping up, cleaning up and bracing for more.
Caltrans announced late Tuesday that a preemptive closure of Highway 1 would continue from Ragged Point about 45 miles north to Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, because of rockfall and damage along the scenic but often fragile route.
According to a Caltrans media release, the agency has “initiated a $1.3 million emergency contract with Papich Construction” for rockfall removal and repair of the rockfall system at Cow Cliffs (28 miles north of the San Luis Obispo/Monterey county line), slide and debris removal at Paul’s Slide (22 miles north of that boundary), and damage repairs at the Caltrans Willow Springs maintenance station (10 miles north of the line).
The media release said, “despite 12 inches of rain in 24 hours at some of the peaks, most portions of Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast fared well during the recent rain event, including those affected by the January 2021 storm.
Other official North Coast rain totals by 2 p.m. Tuesday were in the range of 2.13 inches for Cayucos, 2.44 inches in San Simeon and 2.80 inches in Cambria.
For a community interlaced with thousands of shallow-rooted, aging native Monterey pines, few downed trees had been reported by 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to the Cambria Fire Department.
Three people complaining of pain after a single-car accident on Highway 1 south of Ardath Drive, possibly caused by the rain, were transported to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, according to the initial CHP report.
Officer Don Ellis said the patients’ injuries appeared to be minor. He said the car apparently went off the highway and before it landed and took out about 50 feet of fencing on Caltrans property.
Ellis didn’t have other details yet about the car, the patients or where they were from.
Cambria Fire Department Chief William Hollingsworth said Tuesday that one tree blocked the area of Kathryn Drive and Charing Lane, and a pine that was about 100 feet tall fell into the wires at Hartford and Oakhurst drives. The latter apparently hit a transformer that burst into flames.
Various utilities were also affected by the storm in the area, with phone and internet services hit the hardest. Most outages were fairly short.
Original story:
The second day of a winter storm dawned in San Luis Obispo County on Tuesday, bringing with it a flood warning, high winds, power outages and road closures.
Steady rain continued to fall Tuesday morning, though the winds died down after the National Weather Service issued a high-wind warning for the North County overnight.
San Luis Obispo County sustained 45 mph winds in at least one spot early Tuesday morning, the Weather Service said.
Also overnight, the National Weather Service issued and then extended a flood advisory for much of San Luis Obispo County, saying rainfall rates were expected to reach as much as 1 inch per hour in the late-night hours.
The Diablo Canyon Meterological Tower recorded 2.5 inches of rain, the most rainfall since the atmospheric river in late January 2021, according to John Lindsey, PG&E meteorologist.
Some of the heaviest rain was in Cambria, as up to 3 inches had fallen as of Tuesday morning, according to one neighborhood gauge.
On Monday, Paso Robles received 0.91 inches of rain — tripling its rainfall record of 0.21 inches from 1995, according to the weather service.
The flood advisory was scheduled to last until 9:45 a.m.
There was at least one report of a house flooding in San Luis Obispo County, though the location has not been verified.
Thousands lose power across SLO County due to storm
Monday saw a series of power outages cutting off electricity to San Luis Obispo County residents, and Tuesday brought more of the same.
As of 10:30 a.m., about 2,531 customers across San Luis Obispo County were without electricity due to outages, according to PG&E.
Most of the outages were minor, impacting only a few dozen customers each, but in San Luis Obispo about 2,376 customers were at one point without power. That outage was mostly concentrated between Monterey and Bishop streets.
By early afternoon, the San Luis Obispo power outage was resolved, and only smaller outages remained.
Rainy weather causes road closures, traffic hazards
Despite the heavy rain and wind, SLO County avoided any major traffic incidents related to the storm, though there were several reports of flooding and minor crashes throughout the day.
Around 9:45 a.m., a small SUV collided with a tree at North River Road and Wellsona near Templeton, but there were no injuries, according to the CHP traffic log.
Overnight, Highway 101 and Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo closed around midnight; according to California Highway Patrol (CHP) traffic logs, one car even became stuck in the water and had to be pushed out of the roadway. The road reopened as of Tuesday morning.
Near the southeast corner of the county, the deluge translated to flooded roadway at Foothill Road, closing Kirschenmann Road and Highway 33 as of Tuesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) traffic logs.
CHP traffic logs showed 6 inches of flooding on the westbound lane at the intersection of Pomeroy and Willow Road in Nipomo as of 10:15 a.m. Then around noon, CHP reported some roadway flooding off the Cabrillo Highway 1 near the Rancho Maria Golf Course in Santa Maria.
In Avila Beach, heavy rain flooded First Street, and heavy surf pounded the shoreline to Port San Luis. A couple of what appeared to be pier pilings were seen floating in the surf, but it’s unclear where they came from.
Port San Luis Harbor District Facilities Manager Chris Munson said the district is monitoring the loose pilings, and will survey both the Avila Beach Pier and the Harford Pier once the storm has passed to check for damage.
Munson said it was likely the pile was already compromised before the storm.
In Atascadero, the wind and rain caused a tree to fall at 8598 Webster Road at around 8:30 a.m., blocking the southbound lane, according to CHP traffic logs.
Meanwhile the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department warned people to stay out of the ocean for the next three days, as storm runoff carrying high levels of disease-causing organisms makes its way into the water.
Surfers, swimmers and others are advised to avoid contact with ocean water during this period, especially in areas close to creeks, rivers, storm drains and other runoff outlets that empty into the ocean.
What’s ahead in the forecast?
Tuesday’s storm was expected to deliver between 2 to 4 inches of rain with the heaviest rain falling in the coastal mountains, according to PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey’s weather forecast.
The storm was forecast to taper off at mid-day Tuesday, though more wet weather is on the way through December.
On Thursday, more rainfall and southerly winds are expected. Lindsey’s forecast showed between 0.10 to 0.33 inches of rain and more mountain snow.
No rain is expected Friday through Sunday, as northeasterly winds blow in cold temperatures and clear skies for the weekend, according to Lindsey.
The forecast showed the next storm will arrive Dec. 21-23, with gusty winds and moderate to heavy rainfall. The Christmas Eve forecast calls for gusty winds and chilly temperatures.
“However, there are no guarantees when predicting that far into the future, but the California storm door is expected to remain open,” Lindsey wrote.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 9:14 AM.