What’s next in SLO County’s forecast? More snow flurries and scattered rain showers
.jpg "Snow dusts the hills north of Highway 46 West on Thursday morning, Feb. 23, 2023.")
Bundle up, San Luis Obispo County, because this cold, wet weather isn’t going anywhere for the next few days.
If you haven’t yet seen the mountaintops in your area coated with a layer of snow, just wait. More is on the way, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service.
“There’s a significant storm that’s going to be moving down the coastline,” meteorologist John Lindsey said. “We’ll start seeing the scattered rain showers of today turning into more steady rain tonight.”
San Luis Obispo County will likely see those rain showers and snow flurries throughout Thursday, the Weather Service said.
The rain will hit any area in the county below 1,500 feet of elevation, while snow may fall at any area above that elevation.
On Wednesday evening, a tiny bit of rain fell across the county, with the most recorded in Oceano at 0.12 inches, according to the Weather Service’s data. Lake Lopez got 0.09 inches, while Cambria and Nipomo got 0.06 inches.
It’s most likely the heavier rain will begin after 10 p.m. Thursday, and there’s also a chance for thunderstorms in the county, the Weather Service said.
SLO County can expect 1.5 to 3 inches of rainfall on Friday and Saturday, Lindsey said.
At higher elevations, anywhere from 1,500 to 2,500 feet in elevation could see about 1 to 6 inches of snow on Friday and overnight into Saturday, the Weather Service said. And above 2,500 feet, anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow could fall over the same period.
Lindsey, however, doesn’t expect snow below 3,500 feet in elevation. Instead, snow will likely fall on SLO County’s higher peaks such as Black Mountain and Pine Mountain, he predicted.
“We won’t have a replay snow in the lower elevations like today,” Lindsey said.
The snow is a result of the unusually cold temperatures, which are about 10 to 20 degrees below normal.
Temperatures across San Luis Obispo County aren’t expected to rise above the low 50s on Thursday, and high 40s on Friday.
The Weather Service also issued a wind advisory for 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday. Southeast winds of 20 to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 miles per hour are expected, according to its advisory.
“I’m sure that will cause more tree limbs and trees to topple over, so it’s probably wise to prepare for power outages,” Lindsey said.
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This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 10:05 AM.
