Trees toppled, 3,000 without power as powerful winds sweep into SLO County
A powerful winter storm swept into San Luis Obispo County on Tuesday, knocking down trees and causing power outages across the region.
There were at least five reports of downed trees as of early Tuesday evening.
At 5:22 p.m., the San Luis Obispo Police Department shared a photo of a large downed tree in the 200 block of North Chorro Street. The tree fell between several parked cars. Meanwhile, a eucalyptus tree fell on Ramona Drive in San Luis Obispo around the same time.
A large tree branch fell on the Highway 101 southbound on-ramp at Olive Street in San Luis Obispo around the same time and blocked traffic. As of 6:30 p.m., a tow-truck was working to remove the branch from the ramp so that it could reopen.
Another downed tree was also reported in Los Osos at Tierra Drive at 6:10 p.m., according to CHP’s traffic incident page.
A number of trees were also reported down in the Cambria area, including one that fell on cars outside a house on Richard Drive, one that toppled onto the roof of a home on Pineridge Drive and another that downed power lines on Ardath Drive.
Power outages cut electricity to thousands
Almost 3,000 customers were without power in San Luis Obispo County on Tuesday evening, according to PG&E.
According to PG&E’s outage map, 1,525 customers were without power in the Cambria area, while another 224 were without power in the Harmony and San Simeon areas.
A number of other outages were also reported throughout SLO County on Tuesday evening: 415 customers were without power in Pismo Beach as of 7:10 p.m., and 332 near the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport in San Luis Obispo. In Los Osos, 302 customers were without electricity, while in Morro Bay, 196 were impacted by outages.
Winter storm expected to bring rain, snow to SLO County
The high winds are due to a strong winter storm that is set to impact San Luis Obispo County the rest of this week.
The storm is forecast to bring as much as 8 to 12 inches of snow to the region’s mountain peaks, with dustings and flurries at elevations as low as 1,000 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The Weather Service and meteorologist John Lindsey also warned of dangerous ocean conditions due to large, steep swells.
Meanwhile, wind gusts are expected to range from 36 mph in Atascadero to 45 mph in Cambria, the National Weather Service tweeted Tuesday evening.
Rain is also in the forecast through Saturday, with a potential of up to 1.5 inches of precipitation in San Luis Obispo County’s coastal areas.
This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 7:15 PM.
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