See dramatic photos, videos of damage from tornado that slammed SLO County
San Luis Obispo County weathered a ferocious storm — including a now confirmed tornado — Wednesday as high winds and rain pulled down trees and closed roads.
South County and northern Santa Barbara County were rocked by intense, tornado-like conditions Wednesday afternoon, toppling trees and causing property damage, while the rest of the county faced strong wind and rain.
The fast-moving low-pressure system brought a broken line of convective showers to the county Wednesday afternoon, eventually reaching wind speeds as high as 60 mph, the National Weather Service said.
The NWS issued a tornado warning, a special weather statement and a special marine warning for the coastal waters.
Damage in Grover Beach near West Grand Avenue proved severe enough for the NWS to announce it had confirmed the weather event was in fact a tornado.
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 12:30 PM.
