Winter storm barrels ashore in SLO County, bringing strong winds and rain
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Live updates: Worst of storm bears down on SLO County with howling wind, rain
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A powerful winter storm flowed into San Luis Obispo County Wednesday morning, starting the day off with windy conditions and light drizzles.
The storm — fueled by an “atmospheric river” streaming in from the Pacific Ocean — was expected to pick up throughout the day, with the highest winds and heaviest rain forecast to come at around 4 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
On Wednesday morning, the county experienced south to southeast winds from 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph in the inland areas, and 45 mph along the coast, the Weather Service predicts.
A high wind warning issued by the Weather Service is in effect across the county from 3 a.m. Wednesday through 4 p.m. Thursday. It warns of gusts up to 60 mph.
“Damaging winds will blow down large objects such as trees and power lines,” the Weather Service wrote in its warning. “Power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles.”
Roads that will be especially impacted include Highways 1 and 101, and Highways 41, 46 and 246, according to the Weather Service. Extreme cautioned is urged when traveling along those roads.
“People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches,” the Weather Service wrote. “If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows.”
Flooding expected with heavy rains, high surf
Although Wednesday morning started off with mild rainfall across San Luis Obispo County, that was expected to change later in the day.
A flood watch issued by the Weather Service is in place for the Central Coast from 4 p.m. Wednesday through 10 a.m. Thursday.
“An atmospheric river pushing through the region Wednesday evening into Thursday morning will support periods of heavy rainfall with rates up to around an inch per hour, prompting concern for flooding and flash flooding across the region,” the Weather Service wrote in its watch. “Rainfall totals of 2-4 inches will be common with 4-8 inches expected in the mountains, highest across the Santa Lucia mountains and Santa Ynez mountains east into south facing interior Santa Barbara mountains.”
In San Luis Obispo County, it’s likely most areas will see 1 to 4 inches of rain, with more possible in higher elevations, according to a Wednesday morning forecast by KSBY-TV meteorologist Vivian Rennie.
A coastal flood advisory is also in place for San Luis Obispo County beaches from 4 a.m. Thursday until 1 p.m. Friday, according to the Weather Service. That advisory comes along with a high surf warning for the coastal areas from 6 a.m. Thursday until 10 a.m. Friday.
Those two combined — high surf with rainfall runoff — will likely cause low-lying areas along the coast to flood, especially at high tide.
“The best chance for coastal flooding is during high tide,” the Weather Service wrote in its coastal flooding advisory. “Tides peak Thursday morning and Friday morning at 6.2 feet around 8:30 a.m. Rip currents will become strong as the tides begin to peak.”
The high surf warning is expected to bring waves of 16 to 22 feet with dangerous rip currents, according to the Weather Service.
“Everyone should remain out of the water due to life-threatening surf conditions,” the Weather Service warned. “Stay off of jetties, piers, and other waterside infrastructure.”
Residents can get sand to put in sandbags at various locations around the county. For a complete list, go to www.prepareslo.org/en/storms.aspx#Protect-Your-Home.
SLO County storm could cause power outages
Residents should be prepared for power outages during the storm, PG&E communications representative Carina Corral wrote to The Tribune in an email Tuesday.
“PG&E is preparing by increasing our resources and pre-staging crews and equipment such as power poles, powerlines, and transformers at service yards to restore power to affected areas just as safely and as quickly as it’s possible to do so,” Corral wrote.
Corral offered several storm safety tips for PG&E customers:
- Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it — and keep children and animals away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 911 and by calling PG&E at 800-743-5002.
- Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of fire. If you must use candles, keep them away from drapes, lampshades, animals, and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
- Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready as a backup. Also, charge cell phones and laptops ahead of the storm.
- Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent foods from spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works well in the freezer.
- Secure outdoor furniture: Deck furniture, lightweight yard structures, and decorative lawn items should be secured as they can be blown by high winds and damage overhead power lines and property.
- Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric generators should make sure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to customers, as well as crews working on power lines. If using portable generators, be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.
- Turn off appliances: If you experience an outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.
This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 9:30 AM.
