Rain, hail and thunder to sweep SLO County. When will ‘chaotic’ storm start?
Fragments of a tropical disturbance off the coast of Mexico could carry downpours, thunder and lightning strikes to San Luis Obispo County.
According to the National Weather Service’s forecast discussion, moisture from a monsoon will increase chances for showers and thunderstorms Tuesday and Wednesday across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
“It could be some heavy rain, maybe some hail, gusty winds, a lot of weather elements we don’t see a whole lot of — especially this time of year,” Mike Wofford, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, told The Tribune. “So it’s going to be pretty, pretty chaotic, we think.”
Parts of the county could see up to a half-inch of rainfall, he said, with the potential for flooding in local burn areas recently scorched by wildfires.
Here’s what to know about the weather forecast in SLO County:
What’s the weather forecast for San Luis Obispo?
The San Luis Obispo area was expected to be mostly sunny Tuesday morning with a high of 84 degrees, according to the National Weather Service’s latest seven-day forecast.
On Tuesday night, showers and thunderstorms were possible with a 60% chance of precipitation.
Conditions will be mostly cloudy with a low temperature of 61 degrees, the weather service said.
Which areas are at risk of flooding?
Overnight, some places could receive anywhere from light sprinkes to up to a half-inch or more of rain, Wofford said.
“A lot of that could fall in a fairly short period of time,” he said. “We are concerned for potential flooding ... especially, we’ve got a couple burn areas now that are out there that are vulnerable.”
Central California has seen its share of major wildfires in recent months. The Madre Fire burned 80,779 acres in San Luis Obispo County in July, while the Gifford Fire has scorched more than 131,00 acres in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties since it began burning in August, according to Cal Fire.
Wofford warned residents to stay vigilant Tuesday night if heavy rain, hail and lightning strikes end up hitting SLO County.
On Wednesday morning, another round of thunderstorms along with a 50% chance of rain is predicted prior to 11 a.m. Rainfall could reach up a quarter-inch, though higher amounts are possible amid thunderstorms, the National Weather Service said.
Wednesday afternoon will be partly sunny with a high around 77 degrees, according to the forecast. In the evening, it will be mostly cloudy with a low of 60 degrees.
How long will rain last in SLO County?
Following some light fog Thursday morning, mostly sunny conditions will return to San Luis Obispo Thursday with an expected high of 76 degrees and some wind gusts up to 15 mph.
That evening, patchy fog and clouds will appear after 11 p.m. The overnight low will be 57 degrees.
Friday morning will be foggy and then mostly sunny with a high temperature around 75. Cloudy, foggy conditions will return in the evening with a low of 58.
Saturday and Sunday will start with patchy fog but will otherwise have mostly sunny skies with highs of 73 and 76 degrees, respectively.
Both nights will be slightly foggy with lows of 58 degrees.
How much rainfall could Paso Robles see?
The weather service’s latest forecast for Paso Robles called for mostly sunny conditions Tuesday with a high temperature of 95 degrees.
On Tuesday night, there was a 50% chance of rain and thunderstorms, mostly after 11 p.m.
Between a 10th and a quarter-inch could fall in the Paso Robles area overnight, when the low temperature will be 61 degrees, the weather service said.
More showers and possible lightning and thunder could hit the Paso Robles area throughout Wednesday morning, with up to a quarter-inch of rain possible.
Otherwise, the day will be partly sunny with a high around 80 degrees.
Wednesday night will be mostly clear with a low of 58.
It will be sunny and windy Thursday with some gusts reaching up to 15 mph. The high temperature will be around 85.
Skies will be clear Thursday evening with an overnight low temperature near 55 degrees.
Friday will be sunny with a high of 86 and a low of 56 degrees.
Saturday and Sunday will also feature sunny skies with high temperatures of 81 and 85 degrees, respectively.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 10:13 AM.
