Overnight storm brought more than an inch of rain to SLO County areas. What’s next?
An overnight atmospheric river storm brought heavy downpours of rain and strong winds to San Luis Obispo County.
The National Weather Service had issued a flood advisory from about midnight until 4 a.m. Thursday, warning that the rainfall could cause minor stream flooding.
As of 9 a.m. Thursday, well over an inch of rain had fallen in some areas of the county including around San Luis Obispo, Los Osos and the mountains northeast of Cambria, according to rainfall data from the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department.
Most other areas of the county saw more than a half-inch of rainfall overnight, the data show.
Wednesday evening’s rainfall certainly doesn’t mark the only storm the Central Coast will see this week. The Weather Service was predicting more rain could fall Thursday — although it likely won’t amount to more than a quarter of an inch.
Looking further ahead, the Weather Service and weather forecasters around the West Coast are warning of a second, more powerful atmospheric river storm forecast to reach California beginning Sunday.
That storm is expected to slowly move through the Central Coast Sunday night into Monday morning, perhaps bringing 2 to 4 inches of rain during that period, according to the Weather Service. However, some weather models show possibly even more rain could fall across the region.
Because the soils are already quite saturated from Wednesday evening’s storm, the Weather Service warns that the second storm could cause flooding.
“Rain rates around an inch per hour are possible at times during the peak of the storm, especially in up-slope areas,” the Weather Service wrote in its latest forecast for the second storm. “Citizens and authorities need to be aware of the likelihood of significant hydrologic issues, including: rock and mud slides in the mountains and flooding of small streams and rivers as well as significant rises on some of the larger rivers and streams.”
Rainfall totals from Wednesday evening storm
Here are the rainfall totals from the storm that hit San Luis Obispo County Wednesday evening through Thursday morning. Totals are according to the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department.
- Santa Margarita Lake: 1.68 inches
- Camp San Luis Obispo: 1.62 inches
- South Portal at Cuesta Ridge: 1.47 inches
- Rocky Butte: 1.3 inches
- Davis Peak above Avila Beach: 1.3 inches
- Los Osos: 1.29 inches
- Paso Robles: 1.04 inches
- San Luis Obispo off Broad Street and Industrial Way: 1.03 inches
- San Luis Obispo Reservoir: 1 inch
- Canet near Morro Bay: 0.97 inches
- Nipomo East: 0.96 inches
- Cambria: 0.92 inches
- Lopez Dam: 0.83 inches
- Templeton: 0.81 inches
- Atascadero: 0.75 inches
- San Simeon: 0.67 inches
- Nipomo South: 0.62 inches
- Arroyo Grande: 0.52 inches
- Midway on Highway 41: 0.43 inches
- Shandon: 0.38 inches
- Carrizo Plain: 0.37 inches
Oceano: 0.34 inches
