Parts of Bay Area could see potential power shutoffs amid high winds, dry conditions

Pacific Gas and Electric Company may proactively turn off power for safety to parts of the Bay Area due to a forecasted dry offshore wind event and extremely dry vegetation starting Wednesday.

The potential Public Safety Power Shutoff would impact 70,000 customers across 29 counties and is forecasted to last through Saturday afternoon, according to utility officials.

In the Bay Area, that includes an estimated 4,705 in Alameda County, 1,605 in Contra Costa County, 3,027 in Napa County, 30 in Solano County, and 1,783 in Sonoma County.

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PG&E sent one-day advance notifications Tuesday afternoon to customers in targeted areas where power may be shut off to reduce the risk of wildfires from energized powerlines.

The strongest winds are expected in the Sierra, southern Central Coast, and portions of the North and East Bay, according to PG&E.

Roughly 4,000 customers who were impacted by PSPS events earlier in the week may also be affected by this event, while roughly 5,700 customers who were included in the original PSPS event have since been de-scoped.

Key details regarding the weather event and outage scope include:

• Offshore Diablo winds will peak Thursday across the northern and central Sierra, as well as into portions of the North and East Bay;
• The strongest winds overall will be in the South, but relative humidity will be in the single digits and teens across most areas, alongside dry vegetation in all areas;
• Despite the large scale of the event, new modeling tools have been implemented to allow for higher-resolution weather data, enabling a more surgical approach to scoping.

Initial customer notifications via text, email, and automated phone call began Monday, approximately two days prior to the potential shutoff. Subsequent notifications due to an increased scope began on Tuesday.

PG&E employees will conduct individual in-person visits, when possible, to customers enrolled in the company’s Medical Baseline Program who do not verify they have received these safety communications, focusing primarily on customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment.

Customers can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at pge.com/pspsupdates.

For more information on the possible PSPS, visit PG&E’s power shutoff forecast page.