Flood warning issued as storm pounds SLO County
A powerful winter storm dumped more than an inch of rain on most San Luis Obispo County locations on New Year’s Eve, causing localized flooding, a sewage spill and the closure of Highway 1 to Big Sur.
The rainfall came from the southern edge of an atmospheric river that pounded Northern California, dropping more than 5 inches of rain on San Francisco, flooding highways and breaching levees near Sacramento, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In San Luis Obispo County, the heaviest rain fell in the late afternoon, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood advisory.
“If you are out and about, do not drive on flooded roads,” the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services tweeted at 3:17 p.m. “Even 12 inches of rushing water can carry away a car.”
The rain was expected to cause “urban and small stream flooding,” the National Weather Service said. “Overflowing poor drainage areas will cause minor flooding in the advisory area.”
Doppler radar and automated rain gauges predicted heavy rain to reach up to three-quarters of an inch each hour.
In San Luis Obispo, about 4,250 gallons of sewage was released into San Luis Obispo Creek due to a sewage line blockage, the city said in a news release late Saturday night. The spill started at about 5 p.m. and was stopped at 6:25 p.m. same day.
The most notable closure was a new shutdown of Highway 1 due to rock slides.
The scenic road was closed from Ragged Point, 2.1 miles south of the border between Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, to 2.5 miles south of Big Sur in Monterey County as of 9 a.m. Saturday, according to Caltrans’ road conditions site.
Localized flooding reported throughout SLO County
The heavy rain caused standing water to line Tank Farm Road, and an abandoned mail truck was reported in a ditch near Foothill Boulevard and Los Osos Valley Road at 3:39 p.m. with no injuries.
Downtown, cars drove though rain and overflowing water on the streets.
A ditch running along Foothill and O’Connor Way flooded, and the nearby fields filled with water up off of Foothill and Los Osos Valley Road.
On Highway 41, roadway flooding was reported at 10:22 a.m. at Toro Creek with water running across the roadway, potentially coming from the hillside.
In Santa Maria, 1 foot of water was reported in both lanes along the Cabrillo Highway near the Santa Maria Golf Course at 4:34 p.m. Another roadway flooded in Santa Maria on the Highway 101 South Clark Avenue off-ramp.
The storm also brought high winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph, leading to an advisory for SLO and Santa Barbara counties well into the evening.
In Pismo Beach, intrepid visitors braved the weather to walk on the pier and the sand, shielding themselves from gusts that hit 30 mph Saturday morning.
Despite the high winds, however, power outages were limited and sporadic.
Multiple rock slides close Highway 1
Highway 1 had no estimated time for reopening following multiple rock slides on Saturday, according to a news release from Caltrans District 5.
Caltrans maintenance crews were “performing daytime storm patrol within the closure parameters and working to clear debris from multiple smaller slip-outs in the roadway,” the release said.
Another crew was slated to arrive Sunday at Paul’s Slide to “clear debris from behind the catchment area where rocks and dirt have reached the top of the concrete barriers at four locations,” according to the release.
The highway originally closed Friday evening due to a slide just south of Esalen in Monterey County.
“Motorists are advised to use an alternate route,” Caltrans said on its website.
The closure came just days after another landslide.
On Thursday morning, rocks and debris fell on Highway 1 south of the Paul’s Slide area near Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, momentarily causing some traffic delays, Caltrans tweeted Thursday.
Crews quickly cleared the debris and the road was fully open as of Thursday afternoon, the agency said via Twitter.
How much rain fell in this storm?
Rainfall totals over the last 24 hours varied widely across SLO County, from as little as little as a half inch to more than 3 inches, according to the county’s Public Works Department.
Over the 24 hours ending at 11 a.m. Sunday, Rocky Butte east of San Simeon received 3.23 inches of rain, followed by Santa Margarita Lake with 2.44, San Luis Obispo with 2.52 inches, Lopez Lake with 1.99 and Santa Margarita with 1.93, according to the Public Works Department.
Templeton received 1.46 inches, Arroyo Grande 1.58, Atascadero 1.3 and Cambria 1.04.
More stormy weather ahead for SLO County
The skies cleared for a sunny New Year’s Day, just in time for the annual Polar Bear Dip in Cayucos.
But the break in the wet weather will be short-lived, as new storm clouds move in Sunday night and rain returns on Monday afternoon.
The forecast for the rest of the week calls for possible or likely rain through Friday, the Weather Service said.
Another wet weather system is expected next weekend as well as the storm door remains wide open for California.
This story was originally published December 31, 2022 at 1:57 PM.
