Power outages leave nearly 30,000 customers in the dark across SLO County

Update, 11:25 p.m.: More power lines fell in San Luis Obispo County, with the Grover Beach Police Department tweeting that “all phones and 911 lines are currently down.”

For immediate help, callers were advised to reach out to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office Dispatch.

As of 11:11 p.m., the number of outages had increased to 29,329 customers, according to PG&E.

Most of the outages were in Arroyo Grande, where 6,079 were without power. San Luis Obispo had 5,594 without power.

Power was out in downtown San Luis Obispo on Higuera Street from Broad Street south to Prado Road. The signal lights were on on South Higuera, but businesses were dark.

Update, 9:42 p.m.: Multiple trees and power lines fell Saturday evening, with 20,110 customers out of power as of 9:41 p.m.

Across San Luis Obispo and Atascadero, roads also flooded, resulting in delays and road closures.

The Highway 101 on-ramp at South Main Street in Templeton was closed at 8:26 p.m. due to flooding.

One highway location was reported to be 6 inches deep at the Toro northbound 101 on-ramp in San Luis Obispo.

More flooding on the freeway resulted in a closed lane from CHP at the southbound 101 at the North Spring Street off-ramp in Paso Robles.

“Significant roadway flooding expected across Cayucos, Morro Bay, Los Osos, and San Luis Obispo,” the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office tweeted.

Update, 7:47 p.m.: Power outages have increased across San Luis Obispo County, with 6,963 customers without power as of 7:11 p.m.

Seven cities were affected with 5,340 without power in Atascadero and 1,257 in the dark in San Luis Obispo. There is no estimated time the power will be restored, according to PG&E.

Update, 5:15 p.m.: The CHP said a 16-year-old boy from Atascadero was the person killed in the fatal crash on Highway 41, and that the alcohol appears to be a factor.

The teen passenger, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died from his injuries after being ejected from the vehicle when it hydroplaned on a curve south of Bear Ridge Road.

Orion Messina, 19, of Atascadero, who was arrested following the crash, told the CHP he lost control on a righthand curve, which sent the 2004 Suzuki Grand Vitara into the hillside.

The car, which Messina said was traveling about 55 mph, rotate and rolled, ejecting the 16-year-old.

“Preliminary investigation indicates alcohol was a factor in this collision,” the CHP said.

The identity of the 16-year-old is being withheld bending notification of next of kin.

Update, 4:45 p.m.: Highway 1 is now closed at Ragged Point after the National Weather Service escalated the flash flood watch to a warning for the Colorado and Dolan Fire burn scars in Monterey County, Caltrans said.

The scenic road to Big Sur is closed from the county line at the south to Palo Colorado Road in the north.

Caltrans made the decision in coordination with the CHP and Monterey County because rainfall is expected to exceed the threshold for possible debris flow in the burn areas.

Caltrans said it will assess conditions first thing in the morning to determine when the highway can be reopened.

Original story:

Heavy rains and wind arrived in SLO County on Saturday, causing power outages and leading to several accidents on area roads and one fatality.

The wet weather was the first wave of a storm that was predicted to bring as much as 5 inches of rain to SLO County.

On Saturday afternoon, the City of Paso Robles announced that Saturday night’s Vine Street Victorian Showcase had been canceled due to the weather.

“The decision to cancel the event was made due to the conditions of the roadways and potential falling debris. The safety of our community is our priority,” the city said in a news release.

Traffic collisions reported around SLO County

The majority of the impacts from the storm involved crashed on rain-slicked county roads.

Just before noon, a single vehicle traffic collision resulted in an unknown fatality at Highway 41 and Bear Ridge Road, west of Atascadero, the CHP confirmed.

The San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office was called at 1:09 p.m., and the CHP said it would send a news release later in the day with more information on the incident.

Elsewhere, a traffic collision between two vehicles on the San Ramon off-ramp from northbound Highway 101 in Atascadero resulted in one vehicle that spun out and another vehicle that rolled over the side about 30 feet. No injuries were reported in that crash, the CHP said at 1:49 p.m.

Traffic control was issued at Del Rio Road, and the San Ramon offramp was closed according to the scanner.

“We are going to need vehicle stabilization and extrication,” an emergency responder said on the scanner at around 12:23 p.m.

In San Luis Obispo, a small rock slide blocked the southbound lane of Prefumo Canyon Road at Castillo Court around noon.

And at 3:28 p.m., a vehicle hydroplaned into the center divide of northbound Highway 101 near Santa Margarita with no injuries, according to the CHP.

Small power outages reported

High winds from the storm brought sporadic power outages as well.

Across San Luis Obispo County, 363 customers were without power as of 2:41 p.m.

The most outages were reported in Shandon with 285, followed by Cambria with 76 and San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles each with one. By 3:26 p.m. 86 customers total were out of power.

Another outage knocked out power to 279 customers near Lake San Antonio near the SLO County-Monterey County border.

Flood advisory in Monterey County burn areas

Farther north, the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services issued a flood advisory at the Colorado, Dolan and River Fire burn scars.

The advisory started at 2:03 p.m. and is expected to last through 5 p.m.

As of 3:30 p.m. no roads were closed due to the rain in San Luis Obispo County, including Highway 1 which reopened Wednesday after a weather-induced rockslide.

The rain and wind is expected to continue through the weekend, with a hazardous weather condition warning issued by the National Weather Service for San Luis Obispo County, expected to last until 6 a.m. Sunday.

“Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” the National Weather Service wrote. “Major roadways that will likely be impacted by the strong winds include Highways 1, 41, 46, 101, 154 and 166.”