Live updates: Flood advisory issued as heavy rain hits SLO County

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A flood advisory was issued for San Luis Obispo County on Wednesday as heavy rain hit the region, leading to collisions on Highway 101, mudslides and reports of inundated roadways.

Here’s the latest on the storm:

National Weather Service extends flood advisory

Update 6:14 p.m.:

The National Weather Service extended the flood advisory to 9:45 p.m. for San Luis Obispo County, the SLO County Office of Emergency Services posted on X.

This means low-lying and poor drainage areas are being monitored for flooding, the National Weather Service said.

Traffic collision blocks lane on Santa Maria River Bridge

Update 5 p.m.:

As of 4:22 p.m., the vehicles had been removed from the roadway, according to the CHP traffic log. The collision resulted in minor injuries, CHP said.

Update 4 p.m.:

A tan GMC Denali and a white sedan collided while driving northbound on Highway 101 across the Santa Maria River Bridge, according to the CHP traffic log.

As of 3:53 p.m., the white sedan was stuck in the fast lane of the highway and couldn’t be moved, according to CHP.

One of the patients complained of pain, and an ambulance was on its way to the scene of the collision as of 4 p.m., according to emergency radio traffic.

No new closures reported on Highway 1 to Big Sur

Update 4 p.m.:

Last winter, a major landslide blocked a portion of Highway 1 in Big Sur in an area now known as “Paul’s Slide,” along with several other locations between San Simeon and Carmel.

The Paul’s Slide area of the highway is still closed.

Though Caltrans received reports of “scattered rockfall” on Highway 1 through Big Sur on Wednesday, there hadn’t been a reason to close any more of the road as of 4 p.m., according to Caltrans spokesperson Kevin Drabinski.

“We have heard that it is wet and messy out there. Beyond that, no major issues,” he wrote in an email to The Tribune.

Highway 101 lane flooded

Update 3:22 p.m.:

As of 3:22 p.m., the fast lane of Highway 101 was flooded at the base of Nojoqui Grade in Santa Barbara County, according to the CHP traffic log.

Highway 1 closed in South County

Update, 3 p.m.:

At about 2:45 p.m., Caltrans closed Highway 1 from one mile north of Guadalupe to Nipomo due to flooding, the agency said in a post on X.

The closure extended from Division Street near Guadalupe to Oso Flaco Lake Road in Nipomo, Caltrans said, with no estimate for when that portion of the highway will re-open.

Highway 1 in Oceano closed due to flooding

Update, 2:30 p.m.:

Caltrans closed the northbound side of Highway 1 at 19th Street in Oceano around 2:08 p.m., according to the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page.

A traffic collision was also reported near Avila Beach shortly afterwards around 2:17 p.m. when a vehicle collided with a guard rail along the southbound side of Highway 101, according to the CHP page.

One SLO County spot has gotten 15 inches of rain in 2 days. Here are the latest totals

A white SUV with rear end damage and airbags deployed was reported to CHP, with the occupant standing outside the car in the center divide of the highway, though the driver’s condition is unknown, according to the CHP page.

The collisions slowed southbound traffic on Highway 101 near Avila Beach.

Rock and mud slide blocks off-ramp in Paso Robles

Update, 2:15 p.m.:

The Highway 101 Spring Street off-ramp at the south end of Paso Robles was rendered “almost impassable” by a rock and mud slide, according to the CHP page.

Slide reported on Highway 41

Update, 1:20 p.m.:

A rock and mud slide was reported around 11 a.m. on Highway 41 near Los Altos Road, according to the CHP page.

The person who reported the slide said some of the falling debris was “larger than basketballs,” according to emergency services app Pulsepoint.

Original story:

According to a National Weather Service post on X, the flood advisory was issued at 12:17 p.m through 4 p.m.

It was added on top of an existing flood watch set to last until 4 a.m. Friday due to “a high risk of flooding caused by excessive rainfall,” according to the Weather Service.

The entirety of Southern California was under the flood watch as of Wednesday morning, and the Weather Service warned that the rainfall could cause roadway and creek flooding.

Rain totals continued to rise across the county, with many areas exceeding 2 inches for the week so far.

Leading the way was Rocky Butte east of Cambria. The peak has been the wettest spot in the state this week, receiving more than a foot of rain in recent days.

The Weather Service also issued a special marine warning from Piedras Blancas to Point Sal on Wednesday morning, alerting to the possibility for waterspouts, winds above 34 knots and large waves.

As for initial reports of flooding, heavy rains inundated Highway 1 near 19th Street in Oceano around noon, with water covering part of the roadway and drivers avoiding the deeper areas, according to the CHP page.

To the south, the CHP received reports of driveway construction falling apart on Highway 1 near South Halcyon Road.

Overturned truck in Atascadero slows traffic on Hwy. 101

The rain was wreaking havoc on local roadways as well.

In Atascadero, a traffic collision slowed traffic on Highway 101 Wednesday afternoon.

According to the California Highway Patrol’s Traffic Incident Information Page, a 12-foot white mail truck overturned on its side in the center divide of Highway 101 near the El Camino Real off-ramp around 11:55 a.m.

A grey sedan was also pulled over to the roadside, and two to three vehicles may have been involved in the collision, according to the CHP page.

The Atascadero Police Department blocked the No. 1 northbound lane of Highway 101 to make way for emergency vehicles, slowing traffic near the collision, according to the CHP page.

A tow truck was en route to the scene of the collision as of 12:03 p.m. to clear the overturned truck, according to the CHP page.

Multiple vehicles involved in early-morning collisions

Multiple vehicles were involved in a pair of traffic collisions in southern San Luis Obispo County early Wednesday morning.

According to the California Highway Patrol’s Traffic Incident Information Page, a caller reported seeing a pair of tail lights go off the northbound roadside of Highway 101 around 5:10 a.m. near the Oak Park Boulevard off-ramp.

The vehicle damaged fencing around 200 feet from the off-ramp, and ambulances were dispatched to the scene of the collision shortly after it was reported, according to a CHP spokesperson.

Medics and a tow truck were dispatched around 5:30 a.m., locating the vehicle in a culvert, the CHP spokesperson told The Tribune.

Emergency responders worked for around two hours to extricate the driver from the vehicle, according to a Tweet from the Five Cities Fire Authority.

Not long afterwards, a second traffic collision near the Oak Park Boulevard offramp involving two vehicles was reported around 6:44 a.m., according to the Traffic Incident Information Page.

According to the Traffic Incident Information Page, by 6:49 a.m., four vehicles were involved in the collision, with all four vehicles on the roadside.

A tow truck was dispatched to the scene around 6:56 a.m. to remove a gray GMC truck that suffered moderate front end damage in the collision, according to the CHP page.

At least one driver suffered minor injuries, according to the CHP page.

What’s ahead in the weather forecast

The widespread storm was expected to hit the Central Coast hardest on Wednesday.

From 0.5 to 2 inches was expected in San Luis Obispo County on Wednesday, although higher amounts could occur in the mountain areas, according to the Weather Service. Another 0.75 inches of rain was expected overnight into Thursday.

The forecast for Thursday called for up to 1.5 inches of rain before the wet weather tapers off on Friday.

The Weather Service said the region could see a chance of thunderstorms from Wednesday afternoon into Thursday night.

Saturday should see mostly sunny skies return with dry weather through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

How much rain has fallen so far

The storms this week have already brought nearly 2 inches of rain to many spots around SLO County.

One spot, Rocky Butte in the mountains northeast of Cambria, has been the rainiest spot in California. The area had accumulated 13.47 inches of rain since the series of storms began Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service.

The rest of the county averaged between 0.6 inches and 3 inches of rain over the past three days, the Weather Service’s data show.

Here are the Weather Service rain gauge three-day rainfall totals as of 1:30 p.m.:

• Rocky Butte: 15.01 inches
  
  

• Midway on Highway 41: 3.15 inches

• South Portal at Cuesta Ridge: 3.11 inches

• Cambria: 3.02 inches

• Davis Peak above Avila Beach: 2.88 inches

• Lopez Dam: 2.62 inches

• San Luis Obispo off Broad Street and Industrial Way: 2.51 inches

• San Luis Obispo Reservoir: 2.45 inches

• Arroyo Grande: 2.44 inches

• Santa Margarita: 2.43 inches

• San Simeon: 2.42 inches

• Nipomo East: 2.02 inches

• Camp San Luis Obispo: 1.93 inches

• Paso Robles: 1.92 inches

• Los Osos: 1.9 inches

• Templeton: 1.77 inches

• Canet near Morro Bay: 1.61 inches

• Atascadero: 1.5 inches

• Oceano: 1.47 inches

• Nipomo South: 0.61 inches

• Shandon: 0.35 inches

• Carrizo Plain: 0.1 inches