Record rainfall recorded in SLO County during storm. Here’s a look at the latest totals
The latest in a string of winter storms brought record-breaking rainfall to two San Luis Obispo County spots, according to Cal Poly and the National Weather Service.
Cal Poly recorded 6.41 inches of rain on Monday, breaking the previous daily record of 2.21 inches set in 2005, the San Luis Obispo university’s data show.
That’s the most rainfall ever recorded at the university’s gauge in a single day.
Previously, the most recorded in a calendar day was 5.9 inches on Jan. 25, 1969.
Meanwhile, the Paso Robles Municipal Airport recorded 2.02 inches of rain, besting the 1.18 inches recorded in 1995, according to the Weather Service.
Rocky Butte was the wettest spot in San Luis Obispo County, receiving 10.48 inches of rain over the past two days.
Over the past 48 hours, ending at 4 a.m. Tuesday, the winter storm that slammed into San Luis Obispo County formed an atmospheric river that picked up moisture from the subtropics and dumped it on land.
The deluge caused widespread flooding and mudslides across the region, forcing many to evacuate their homes and businesses.
One driver was found dead in her vehicle Monday after being overtaken by floodwater near Avila Beach, the California Highway Patrol said.
On Tuesday, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said it was resuming its search for Kyle Doan, a kindergarten student at Lillian Larsen Elementary School in San Miguel who was last seen Monday morning when he and his mother became trapped in floodwaters at San Marcos Creek.
Although bystanders were able to rescue the mother, Kyle disappeared in the swift current.
The rain caused reservoir levels to jump in the county, and the Salinas Dam at Santa Margarita Lake overflowed at 8 a.m. Monday, according to the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department.
Overflowing reservoirs and the pouring rain caused rivers and creeks to swell.
Evacuation orders were still in place Tuesday for areas around the Salinas River in Paso Robles, the Arroyo Grande Creek levee and around the Meadow Creek lagoon near Grover Beach, according to the county.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for San Luis Obispo County and 13 other California counties on Monday evening, adding to his previous emergency declaration for 17 counties in the state due to the storm’s devastation.
Early Tuesday morning, San Luis Obispo County residents were awakened by loud thunderclaps, bright lightning flashes and sudden bursts of heavy rain and hail and gusting winds as a second storm system moved through the region.
That system, which could still bring thunderstorms, intense rainfall and more hail to San Luis Obispo County on Tuesday, is migrating away from the Central Coast and south into the Los Angeles County area.
However, no more than a half-inch of rain was expected to fall across the county on Tuesday, according to the Weather Service.
Calmer weather is predicted for the Central Coast through at least Thursday night, with rain returning Friday and through the weekend, according to the Weather Service.
SLO County rainfall totals
Here are the 48-hour rainfall totals for San Luis Obispo County from 4 a.m. Sunday through 4 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Weather Service:
- Rocky Butte: 10.48 inches
- West Santa Margarita: 9.24 inches
- Northern Lake Nacimiento area: 7.37 inches
- Arroyo Grande: 7.05 inches
- Cal Poly SLO: 6.8 inches
- Santa Margarita Lake: 6.66 inches
- Lopez Lake: 6.65 inches
- Las Tablas south of Lake Nacimiento: 6.6 inches
- Foothills west of Atascadero: 6.43 inches
- Templeton: 5.78 inches
- Atascadero: 5.24 inches
- Cambria: 4.54 inches
- Los Osos: 4.5 inches
- La Panza off Highway 58 northwest of Carrizo Plain: 4.22 inches
- San Luis Obispo County Airport: 4.14 inches
- Nipomo: 3.99 inches
- Oceano: 3.24 inches
- Shandon: 2.6 inches
- Paso Robles Airport: 2.1 inches
- Carrizo Plain: 1.79 inches
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 11:52 AM.
