Atmospheric river storm reaches SLO County with heavy rain, wind and flood advisory
Update, 12:20 p.m.:
The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for San Luis Obispo County through early Thursday morning.
The agency warned that around 11:56 p.m., Doppler radar indicated moderate to heavy rain throughout the county. According to the advisory, between 0.5 and 1.5 inches of rain had already fallen as of midnight.
The rain was expected to cause urban and small stream flooding overnight, especially in poor drainage areas.
The agency warned rainfall rates of 0.25 to 0.5 inches per hour were likely, with brief rates up to 0.75 inches per hour.
Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1.5 inches were expected over the area into the early morning.
The advisory was expected to expire at 4 a.m. Thursday.
Original story:
An atmospheric river storm arrived in San Luis Obispo County Wednesday evening, bringing with it a forecast for heavy overnight rain and wind.
The most substantial rainfall was expected to occur between 10 p.m. Wednesday and 4 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
As the storm made landfall, it came with predicted gusts of up to 45 mph across the Central Coast, according to the Weather Service, which also issued a wind advisory for the county in effect through 7 a.m. Thursday.
Additionally, a high surf advisory was issued for the coast until Saturday evening.
Large breaking waves of 14 to 18 feet on Thursday and Friday and 8 to 12 feet on Saturday were predicted to possibly bring minor coastal flooding, according to the Weather Service.
There’s a 30% chance waves of at least 20 feet could slam the Central Coast on Thursday, the Weather Service predicted. Those waves were fueled by the high winds from the atmospheric storm.
Another storm in weather forecast for SLO County
The storm was predicted to bring rainfall throughout Thursday before tapering off to cloudy skies Friday and Saturday, according to the Weather Service.
But the dry spell will not last long.
Another atmospheric river storm — dubbed the “largest storm of the season” by the Weather Service — is expected to hit the Central Coast beginning Sunday.
The second storm may bring 2 to 4 inches of rain between Sunday and Wednesday, the Weather Service said.
This story was originally published January 31, 2024 at 7:14 PM.
