Season’s first atmospheric river to strike California. What does it mean for SLO County?
The first atmospheric river of the season will dump a deluge of rain on Northern California this week — but San Luis Obispo County will dodge most of the damage.
An atmospheric river is a long, narrow band of water vapor in the atmosphere that releases a large amount of rain and snow, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The storm will unleash up to 24 inches of rain north of the Golden Gate Bridge between Wednesday and Saturday, meteorologist John Lindsey said.
“That is a tremendous amount of precipitation,” he said. “It looks really horrific up there.”
In San Luis Obispo County, however, the rain won’t kick in until Friday — and the storm will be far less intense.
The National Weather Service predicted a slight chance of rain in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo after 10 a.m. on Friday. Rain is likely on Saturday, and there is also a chance of rain on Sunday, the Weather Service said.
Most of San Luis Obispo County will only receive between a third and a half inch of rain from the weekend showers, Lindsey said.
Meanwhile, Cambria and Rocky Butte could get up to an inch of rain, while the Big Sur Coast could see between 1 and 2 inches of rain, he said.
“It’s not going to be a lot,” Lindsey said.
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 1:39 PM.
