‘Wowie!’ Overnight snow decorates SLO County in white again as winter storm continues
San Luis Obispo County woke to another snowy morning Saturday, this time even more widespread than the last on Thursday.
Snow blanketed mountain ranges up and down the coast, from Arroyo Grande to Paso Robles and beyond.
In the South County, it decorated the hills near Grover Beach, and it turned the California Valley and Temblor Range into what looked like a bona fide arctic landscape.
The snow was so thick in the eastern part of the county, it covered the hills and valleys in one scene of near continuous white.
“Wowie! Look at all that snow!” California Valley photographer Brittany App said in a message to The Tribune, while sharing images taken from her ranch. “I’ve been here 3 years now, and this is the first time I’ve seen snow actually stick to the ground. ... Pretty amazing to see.”
Outside Creston, Tim and Katie Toole of San Miguel took toddler Liam, 1-1/2, out to see the fresh snow on Webster Road.
They said it was his first time, and he loved the experience, which included kicking over a diminutive snow man. They rebuilt it.
From SLO, snow was visible on the hills above the Cuesta Grade at dawn, and at the summit, some intrepid dog walkers took their pooches out to experience the rare phenomenon.
“This is awesome. I’m from the Midwest and it’s great to have this little winter wonderland here in San Luis Obispo. We don’t get this very often,” said Lynn Hamilton of San Luis Obispo, who was out walking her dog Scout.
Holly Peterson of San Luis Obispo took her dog Fig up to the summit after trying the day before, only to find rain.
“This morning I woke up to three texts from friends saying, ‘There’s snow! Go see it!’” Peterson said.
Brian Storrs took advantage of the unusual weather to take his dog Mr. Bojangles out to see it.
“This is amazing. He just turned 1 year old this week. We live in San Luis Obispo, and he’s never seen snow,” Storrs said. “This is fantastic. I love when we get snow here.”
In Morro Bay, surfers again enjoyed the spectacle of taking to the early morning waves with the view of snowy mountains in the distance.
Overnight the storm dropped snow around northern San Luis Obispo County, with snow levels falling below 1,000 feet. Residents across the area posted videos of snowflakes floating down from the sky Friday night.
The snow caused a number of traffic incidents overnight and into Saturday morning.
On Saturday morning, Highway 41 was closed from the San Luis Obispo/Kern County line to the junction with Highway 33 due to snow, Caltrans tweeted. Heavy snow also prompted a closure of Highway 58 from Creston to Kern County, according to Caltrans.
And Interstate 5 was closed over the Grapevine again, rerouting traffic to the coast. In places in SLO County, long-haul truckers pulled off on the side of Highway 101 when they needed a break.
At the Oceano Dunes, the Arroyo Grande Creek crossing was closed due to unsafe conditions, limiting access from Grand Avenue to the creek, State Parks said. The day use riding area was closed until conditions improve.
Meanwhile, rain continued throughout the rest of San Luis Obispo County, continuing to periodically flood roadways throughout Friday night into Saturday.
Evacuation warning lifted in Oceano
The conditions that led to an evacuation warning in Oceano eased Saturday, and the county Office of Emergency Services lifted the alert for the Arroyo Grande Creek Levee, though risk for flooding still remains.
San Luis Obispo County currently has no locations under an evacuation order or warning, OES said.
The update comes a day after the agency issued a warning for surrounding areas of the levee due to flooding concerns. A warning is given when there is a risk for flooding in a given area, with the possibility of having to evacuate.
“Although the evacuation warning has been lifted, due to ground saturation additional possibility for flooding may be expected with future storms,” the agency said in a news release.
Arroyo Grande has recorded 2.68 inches of rain in the past 48 hours as of 10:29 a.m. according to the National Weather Service.
Saturday was expected to bring more rain — and the potential for more storm impacts — before tapering off on Sunday.
Do you have photos or video of the snow? Send them to @kleslie@thetribunenews.com and we’ll add them to our stories.
This story was originally published February 25, 2023 at 8:54 AM.
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