Flood Advisory in effect for Western and Central San Luis Obispo County until 7 a.m.

As the Atmospheric River approaches the region, a Flood Watch has been issued and will be in effect through Friday evening for all of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. The main area of concern is the northwest corner of San Luis Obispo County, with flooding anticipated for creeks, streams, and some roadways. A Flood Advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for Western and Central San Luis Obispo County and will be in effect until 7am. Low level flooding due to excessive rainfall during a short period of time is a possibility.

The warm storm system already brought light, scattered showers to San Luis Obispo County this afternoon, but rainfall is set to intensify later this evening for the Central and South Coast alike. The most rain is expected for communities north of Point Conception. Between two to four inches of rain is expected for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. For isolated communities, including the Santa Lucia Mountains, along with the coast and foothills of San Luis Obispo County, could see between six to twelve inches of rain. Ventura County will get the least amount of rain, with projected rain totals between one to three inches.

Southerly winds will pick up as soon as the storm arrives, which is why a Wind Advisory has been issued. It will be in effect from 4pm Thursday until 12pm Friday for San Luis Obispo County, with wind speeds between 25-35 mph expected and gusts up to 50 mph. It will be in effect for Santa Barbara County and Northern Ventura County Mountains from 8pm Thursday until 12pm Friday, with wind speeds between 20-30 mph expected and gusts up to 50 mph once again.

The heaviest rain will be between Thursday night and Friday night, with light scattered showers on deck for Saturday morning.

There is a quick break between systems over the weekend, but rain returns to the region late Monday into early Wednesday.