Outages, dorm evacuation, car crashes persist as new storm approaches SLO County

San Luis Obispo County weathered another day of power outages and car crashes and one Cal Poly dorm remained evacuated Monday as a slow-moving storm approached.

More than 1,000 people remained without power as PG&E crews worked to repair power lines broken during the weekend’s storms. Reports of car crashes and spinouts grew Monday afternoon, but the number of reports stayed fairly small at about five incidents at any given time, according to the California Highway Patrol’s website.

Residents of Fremont Hall at Cal Poly remained evacuated as crews worked to remove dirt from an unstable hillside threatening the dorm, according to the University Housing website. Fremont Hall residents will be allowed back in at certain times Monday and Tuesday to gather their belongings, but there is no estimate for when students can return.

While Monday saw some showers, the heaviest rain and strongest winds are forecast for about 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey said. The storm is moving down from Northern California at a slower rate than originally anticipated.

In the past 24 hours, Rocky Butte has received 3 inches of rain, Cambria reported an inch of rain and Templeton reported 0.75 inches of rain. Los Osos received a half-inch of rain while Arroyo Grande, Oceano and Nipomo all received about a third of an inch, Lindsey said.

Lindsey predicted there will be a few showers after 10 a.m. Tuesday, but the rain will be finished by Tuesday night.

The Central Coast will see a break from the rain until this weekend, when it is forecast to start up again, Lindsey said.

This story was originally published February 20, 2017 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Outages, dorm evacuation, car crashes persist as new storm approaches SLO County."