Snowflakes may be a rare sight on the Central Coast, especially around the holiday season, but snowfall does happen — and we’ve got the pictures to prove it.
Photos from 1922 show snow on the ground in Monterey Street in downtown San Luis Obispo, and the area also saw snow in February 1944 and December 1967.
In March 1976, a storm topped local hillsides with snow, closing the Cuesta Grade north of San Luis Obispo to Highway 101 traffic and forcing the Goodyear blimp to land at the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.
The most significant snowfall seen in SLO County in recent decades arrived in December 1988, when a powerful storm swept into the region — closing the Cuesta Grade, shuttering schools and stranding travelers.
Most recently, a storm dropped snow across the higher elevations of SLO County in February, dusting vineyards in Paso Robles, frosting fields off Highway 58 and providing a dramatic backdrop for surfers competing in the SLO CAL Open in Morro Bay.
Here are some fun, frosty snow photos from The Tribune’s archives:
Snow falls in December 1988 at the Atascadero Sunken Gardens. Robert Dyer The Tribune
Terry Hetrick, a Caltrans equipment operator, waits for a grader to come across the road this morning as CHP escorts traffic over snow-topped Cuesta Grade March 19, 1991. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
Snow on Monterey Street in downtown San Luis Obispo in 1922. Tribune archives
Unidentified men enjoying snow on the streets of San Luis Obispo in 1922. Tribune archives
Snow covers the landscape near Highway 46 intersection between Paso Robles and Cambria. This aerial photo was taken March 3, 1976. Wayne Nicholls Telegram-Tribune
Dallas Parish, left, and Brett Fay, both 10, throw snowballs near Atascadero’s historic administration building after snow fell in December 1988. Robert Dyer The Tribune
Laura Peterson, left, and Brandee Leonhardt, both of Morro Bay have a snowfight in 1976 on Highway 46, six miles west of Cambria. Thom Halls Telegram-Tribune
During the snowstorm on Dec. 15, 1988, Cal Abbott used a scooper to dish up food to a Barbados ram and a Welsh pony at the Weeping Willow Ranch on Nacimiento Road. Joan Denslow The Tribune
Snow covers the Cuesta Grade on the morning of March 19, 1991. The Tribune
CHP Officer Jim Thompson and Lt. Dick Sabth help a motorist turn around on Highway 101 near Santa Margarita after the Grade was closed by snow Dec. 15, 1988. Robert Dyer
Cal Poly student Toiny Hover watches San Luis Creek rise behind his trailer the evening of March 18, 1991. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
A wintry scene along Highway 41 just south of Shandon on March 12, 2006. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
The top of the Cuesta Grade was a snowy scene on Saturday morning, Feb. 25, 2023. Laura Dickinson ldickinson@thetribunenews.com
Levi Davis, 4, pulls Uriah Davis, 3, up a snow-covered driveway near Parkhill Road Feb. 23, 2023, as a frigid winter storm swept through San Luis Obispo County. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
Snow off Highway 41 East near Cholame on Jan. 24, 2008. Jayson Mellom The Tribune
Snows falls on old trucks on the side of Hwy. 41 west from Atascadero on Feb. 9, 2009. The Tribune
Uriah Davis, 3, left and brother Levi Davis, 4, slide down a snow-covered driveway near Parkhill Road on Feb. 23, 2023, with a horse statue in background. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
Heavy overnight snow turned the California Valley and Temblor Range near the Carrizo Plain into a scene that looks more like the Arctic than San Luis Obispo County on Feb. 25, 2023. Brittany App AppsPhotography.com
Heavy overnight snow turned the California Valley and Temblor Range near the Carrizo Plain into a scene that looks more like the Arctic than San Luis Obispo County on Feb. 25, 2023. Brittany App AppsPhotography.com
Snow can be seen on the mountains from downtown San Luis Obispo on Feb. 25, 2023. John Lindsey
A surfer rides a wave Feb. 23, 2023, on the opening morning of the SLO CAL Open competition in Morro Bay, as the sun illuminates the snowy Santa Lucia Range above Cayucos in the distance. Don Smith
Michael Toews shot this photo of snow in the hills above Edna Valley on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. Michael Toews
Do you have some stunning snow photos to share? Email them to Tribune reporter Sarah Linn at slinn@thetribunenews.com.
This story was originally published December 30, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
Sarah Linn is an editor and reporter on the West Service Journalism Team, working with journalists in Sacramento, Modesto, Fresno, Merced and San Luis Obispo in California and Bellingham, Olympia and Tri-Cities in Washington, as well as Boise, Idaho. She previously served as the Local/Entertainment Editor of The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, working there for nearly two decades. A graduate of Oregon State University, she has earned multiple California journalism awards.
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