Hwy. 1 closed, gas station damaged as storm hammers SLO County
If you were dreaming of a wet Christmas, you got your wish, and then some.
The atmospheric river storm that’s been soaking San Luis Obispo County since Tuesday night continued to bring plenty of rain and even some flooding to the region on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
On Christmas morning, several vehicles were stuck in flooding on Highway 1 near Guadalupe, and mud and debris forced the closure of two roads in Paso Robles.
In Atascadero, high winds ripped part of the canopy off a gas station.
Meanwhile, A flood advisory issued for much of San Luis Obispo County was extended to 6 p.m., warning of minor flooding across the area.
A flood watch will remain in effect until 6 p.m. on Friday.
As of 9 a.m. Thursday morning, multiple spots around SLO County had recorded in excess of 4 inches of rain from the two-day storm, including 5.71 inches at Lake Nacimiento, 4.82 inches in Santa Margarita, 4.25 inches at Rocky Butte near San Simeon, according to the Weather Service.
Atascadero recorded 4.22 inches, Cal Poly 3.34, Paso Robles 2.82 and Nipomo 2.06.
Winds damage Atascadero gas station
The most visible damage from the storm appeared to be at a Shell gas station in Atascadero.
The station at the corner of Curbaril Avenue and Highway 41 was forced to close after high winds tore down a portion of the canopy on Thursday morning.
The same thing happened at the station during a storm in January 2023.
Heavy rains in the city filled Atascadero Creek, which was running muddy and fast through downtown.
Vehciles stuck, flooding closes roads in SLO County
Amid heavy rain to start the morning Thursday, there were no fewer than six reports of roadway flooding and/or mud and rocks on roads on the California Highway Patrol’s traffic incident report page by 8 a.m.
A large pool of water was reported in the No. 1 and No. 2 lanes of southbound Highway 101 at 13th Street in Paso Robles as of 7:20 a.m., while further to the south in Atascadero, two cars crashed on the highway at Santa Rosa Road amid reports of roadway flooding.
Meanwhile, along Highway 41 West, there were reports of “soccer-ball sized boulders across both lanes” of the highway, according to the CHP page.
Then, several vehicles were reported stuck on Highway 1 near Guadalupe due to flooding.
According to the California Highway Patrol’s incident report page, a truck appeared to be stuck under a railroad bridge on the highway at Division Street as of 9:30 a.m.
According to another reporting party, two vehicles were trapped in 8 inches of water under the railroad crossing.
That led Caltrans to close Highway 1 in both directions one mile north of Guadalupe.
According to Caltrans, the highway was closed “due to standing water in the roadway.”
The road was expected to remain closed overnight with crews assessing again Friday morning, Caltrans said.
People were advised to never drive or walk through flooded areas.
In the North County, the city of Paso Robles closed two roads due to “significant mud and debris.”
North River Road was closed from Union Road to River Oaks Drive, and South River Road was closed from Creston Road to Navajo Avenue.
“These roads will remain closed until conditions improve and it is safe to reopen them,” the city said in a news release at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
“The area remains under a flood watch through tomorrow night,” the city added. “Crews are actively monitoring known trouble spots and will continue to address issues as they arise.”
Flood advisory extended
The flood advisory that was in effect for a large part of San Luis Obispo County was extended to 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The advisory included the Gifford Burn Scar and the Madre Burn Scar.
“At 10:22 a.m. PST, Doppler radar indicated moderate to locally heavy rain re-developing and spreading across the Advisory area,” the Weather Service said. “Minor flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly in the advisory area. Rock slides and mud slides, along with minor debris flows will be possible.”
Weather forecast for Friday
By early Thursday evening, the rains had tailed off substantially, and winds were down to 10 to 20 mph, according to the National Weather Service, with gusts up to 25 mph.
Showers were expected to continue overnight, with a quarter to a half inch of rain possible.
Friday’s forecast calls for showers continuing throughout the day before the system finally moves through on Saturday.
A 30% chance of showers was predicted for Saturday morning with winds peaking at 15 mph, before conditions clear to mostly sunny weather.
Dry and warmer weather was expected for the rest of the weekend through the middle of next week until another storm hits at the tail end of the week.
This story was originally published December 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM.
