CALIFORNIA, USA — Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) said Thursday public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) could impact about 20,000 customers in 24 counties.
The utility warned about power shutoffs amid high winds and dry conditions. See below if your area could be impacted.
Due to rainfall in some areas Wednesday, PG&E removed nine counties from PSPS including Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, San Luis Obispo, Sierra, and Tuolumne.
PG&E said power shutoffs are likely from Thursday, Oct. 17 through Saturday, Oct. 19.
Public safety power shutoffs are done in anticipation of strong winds affecting powerlines and creating a wildfire risk. These could happen even if it is not windy in your local area.
"Our overarching goal is to stop catastrophic wildfires by proactively turning off power in targeted areas when extreme weather threatens our electric grid," PG&E said in a statement.
ABC10's meteorologists are calling for a Weather Impact Alert from Thursday to Saturday due to strong winds and a Fire Weather Watch, which happens due to the elevated risk of rapid fire spread. A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 11 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 through 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, and includes areas from Redding to Modesto, according to the National Weather Service.
Winds begin to pick up Thursday evening, strongest on Friday, and taper off on Saturday.
Valley wind gusts may be 35-45 mph, delta wind gusts 40-55 mph and foothill wind gusts 35-45 mph. There may also be strong easterly gusts in parts of the Sierra, with some high-country locations potentially looking at gusts above 40 mph.
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Check if you'll be impacted by public safety power shutoffs
Here's how to check if you'll be impacted by power shutoffs.
People can check the shutoff status by address, which PG&E says is the most accurate, or they can check the outage map, which gives an approximate of the area.
PG&E Outage Map
There are community resource centers listed on the PG&E outage map for those who need resources in the event of a power shutoff. Each location includes a list of what resources are provided which could include water, snacks, device charging, restrooms and more depending on the location. Find a PG&E outage map HERE.
Oct. 17: Which counties could be impacted by public safety power shutoffs?
Some parts of the counties listed below could be impacted by a PSPS. Specific addresses, maps, and shutoff details are typically available two days before a shutoff, according to PG&E. Find the latest outage status by address or city/county HERE.
- Alameda County: 422 customers, 24 Medical Baseline customers
- Butte County: 1,153 customers, 87 Medical Baseline customers
- Colusa County: 606 customers, 30 Medical Baseline customers
- Contra Costa County: 973 customers, 59 Medical Baseline customers
- Fresno County: 1,235 customers, 75 Medical Baseline customers
- Glenn County: 508 customers, 21 Medical Baseline customers
- Lake County: 1,088 customers, 83 Medical Baseline customers
- Madera County: 1,310 customers, 109 Medical Baseline customers
- Mariposa County: 640 customers, 15 Medical Baseline customers
- Mendocino County: 13 customers, 4 Medical Baseline customers
- Merced County: 27 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
- Monterey County: 597 customers, 21 Medical Baseline customers
- Napa County: 3,103 customers,135 Medical Baseline customers
- Plumas County: 316 customers, 11 Medical Baseline customers
- San Benito County: 24 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
- Santa Barbara County: 155 customers, 4 Medical Baseline customers
- Santa Clara County: 663 customers, 41 Medical Baseline customers
- Santa Cruz County: 132 customers, 8 Medical Baseline customers
- Shasta County: 2,407customers, 194 Medical Baseline customers
- Solano County: 1,838 customers, 159 Medical Baseline customers
- Sonoma County: 1,010 customers, 23 Medical Baseline customers
- Stanislaus County: 27 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
- Tehama County: 2,056 customers, 199 Medical Baseline customers
- Yolo County: 262 customers, 15 Medical Baseline customers
Oct. 18: Public safety power shutoffs likely for these California counties
The possibility of PSPS may change depending on the forecast, this list is updated as of Oct. 17 to reflect PG&E's latest updates to its 7-day forecast.
- Alameda
- Butte
- Colusa
- Contra Costa
- Fresno
- Glenn
- Lake
- Madera
- Mariposa
- Mendocino
- Merced
- Monterey
- Napa
- Plumas
- San Benito
- San Luis Obispo
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Shasta
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Stanislaus
- Tehama
- Yolo
Oct. 19: Counties that could experience public safety power shutoffs
The possibility of PSPS may change depending on the forecast, this list is updated as of Oct. 17 to reflect PG&E's latest updates to its 7-day forecast.
- Alameda
- Butte
- Colusa
- Contra Costa
- Fresno
- Glenn
- Lake
- Madera
- Mariposa
- Mendocino
- Merced
- Monterey
- Napa
- Plumas
- San Benito
- San Luis Obispo
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Shasta
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Stanislaus
- Tehama
- Yolo
Watch more on ABC10 | Extended Weather | Possible Power Shutoffs with Fire Danger Ahead