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PG&E plans power outages for Bay Area, Northern California
The power is expected to be cut to about 11,000 PG&E customers in the Bay Area and as many as 70,000 across Northern California from Oct. 15 to Oct. 17 because of dry, windy conditions. The utility says the outage is a safety precaution to prevent the risk of wildfire.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Pacific Gas and Electric is starting to shut off power as part of their planned power shutoffs due to a fire weather system that moved into the state on Wednesday. The utility had alerted 29 California counties that they may be affected. As many as 11,408 customers in five Bay Area counties could see their power go out.
By Tuesday night, residents in Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa and Sonoma saw their power get shutoff. Solano County has been alerted too, but so far has not seen power outages in the early stages of this event. Napa and Contra Costa County are seeing the highest number of outages so far.
Fire weather & potential power outages
The shutoffs are a preemptive measure to help prevent wildfires from being sparked by the utility's equipment.
The system with these fire danger conditions is expected to continue through Saturday morning.
PG&E started notifying its customers earlier this week about the potential for these outages, including those in the Bay Area.
Number of Bay Area PG&E customers potentially affected by shutoffs
- Alameda - 4,705 customers
- Contra Costa - 1,605 customers
- Napa - 3,027 customers
- Solano - 30 customers
- Sonoma - 2,041 customers
PG&E says customers who have already been notified should be prepared if a public safety power shutoff occurs.
The utility advises customers to charge their phones, medical equipment and other devices. Have flashlights with fresh batteries available and to avoid using candles. Have a supply of drinking water available along with nonperishable food items and necessary medication.
Finding information
You can find out more from PG&E about these potential power shutoffs on their website. You can look up your shutoff status by address, and you can see the approximate shutoff outage map.
The utility is planning to open more than 40 community resource centers across the state during the power shutoff event. These centers provide ADA-accessible restrooms, Wi-Fi, blankets, air conditioning, bottled water, snacks and other supplies.
Dry weather conditions
The National Weather Service described the conditions as "near-critical fire weather" for the North and East Bay interior mountains. The overnight winds will lead to dry air or a lack of humidity and the potential for extreme fire behavior.