Atmospheric river storm brings car crashes, flood watch to SLO County. See live updates
Rain has begun to fall in San Luis Obispo County as it braces for an atmospheric river-fueled storm that is slated to bring high winds and possible flooding to the Central Coast.
Heavy rains were expected to begin Wednesday and last through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
With rainfall totals expected to reach 4 inches countywide and up to 10 inches in some Santa Lucia Mountain regions, the storm triggered a flood watch from late Wednesday through Thursday afternoon.
SLO County residents were warned by the Weather Service to watch for flooding in areas like rivers, creeks and streams.
The agency also issued a high wind warning from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday.
Winds blowing to the southwest were expected to reach 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph, according to the Weather Service.
County officials warned residents to take precautions, as the intense storm could usher in power outages and hazardous road conditions.
See live updates of the storm below:
Numerous incidents block traffic as storm gets underway
Numerous crashes slowed traffic on Highway 101 as the storm rolled in Wednesday evening.
A multi-car pileup at the Monterey Street off-ramp involving at least six cars stalled traffic Wednesday, according to the California Highway Patrol incident report page.
The No. 1 northbound lane was blocked due to the incident, the CHP said in a post on X at 6:14 p.m.
The crash was reported around 5:45 p.m.
Another incident near Stagecoach Road also appeared to slow traffic. The crash resulted in minor injuries, according to the CHP page.
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 6:19 PM.
.JPG)