SLO County emergency services and public safety agencies brace for rare winter storm
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services, as well as public safety agencies are in full preparations for this week's approaching winter storm.
The storm is expected to bring rare snow and ice in some parts of the county, reaching perhaps as low as 1,000 feet.
“One of the main things that we're concerned about is the very cold temperatures," said San Luis Obispo County Emergency Service Coordinator Rachel Dion. "Temperatures 20 degrees colder than normal and not seeing a large difference between the temperatures overnight and the temperatures during the day, seeing snow levels potentially drop to 1,500 feet, so we're potentially looking at snow in the North County, which on one hand is kind of exciting, but on the other hand is going to be a nightmare for people commuting to work, so we're worried about ice on the roadways, potential snow on the Cuesta Grade, and looking at how that is going to impact travelers within our county.”
With the storm set to arrive as soon as Wednesday night, all government and public safety agencies within San Luis Obispo County have coordinated planning efforts ahead of the potentially dangerous weather soon to the hit the area.
“This morning we had a meeting with our entire operational area," said Dion. "So the county and all of our jurisdictions within it, the cities, the CSDs, the fire agencies, our law enforcement, our public works, to make sure that everyone is ready to go. We all received a briefing from the National Weather Service on what to expect this week. We're starting to look ahead at roads, the levee, and different areas that are prone to flooding, as well as areas that are prone to ice. We have all of our staff ready, so if the worst happens, we're ready for it.”
California Highway Patrol is expecting to be extremely busy once the storm hits. However, even a likely larger volume of issues on local roadways, staffing will remain at its usual levels.
“We prepare ourselves with getting enough officers on the road to handle whatever calls for service we need to handle on the day," said Miguel Alvarez, CHP San Luis Obispo Unit Public Information Officer. "We definitely have full staffing this weekend. We don't foresee any issues with being able to respond and assist with any calls that we might receive.”
Since the Central Coast rarely receives any considerable amount of snowfall on any of its major roadways, Alvarez noted there is additional concern about the potential for hazardous driving conditions.
“The potential for black ice and maybe some snow, it always brings an elevated amount of traffic collisions absolutely," said Alvarez. “Black ice is always an issue. It's very difficult to see, a thin layer over the roadway makes the roadway very slippery.”
With roadways likely to be impacted during the storm, Caltrans is making sure its ready to respond to issues when they arise.
“Our maintenance crews are now on 24-hour coverage, now through the duration of the storm. We also have additional staffing on standby and emergency contractors if needed," said Caltrans Public Information Officer Alexa Bertola. “We do have our Caltrans equipment, heavy equipment pre-positioned at this point ahead of the storms that are headed our way this week.”
One area of extra concern is the Cuesta Grade. With an elevation of 1,522 feet, it's very possible the steep stretch of Highway 101 may see a significant amount of snow.
“We haven't closed down the Cuesta Grade in a number of years due to icy or snow conditions," said Bertola. "There is a potential for that, but we'll have to wait and see.”
While it remains to be seen if the Cuesta Grade will need to be closed, Bertola added another highly traveled location outside the Central Coast could impact local roadways.
“The Grapevine area on Interstate 5 in the Kern County area does have a potential to close," said Bertola. "Here on the Central Coast, we might actually see an influx of drivers if that highway closes due to icy conditions.”
