7 p.m. update:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- More than 19,000 PG&E customers in the Sacramento Valley and the Sierra Foothills could potentially lose power, starting in waves on Wednesday morning, according to PG&E officials.
Here is how many customers in each county could potentially be impacted by PG&E's latest round of power shutoffs:
- Butte: 11,315
- Calaveras: 262
- El Dorado: 1,654
- Nevada: 224
- Placer: 389
- Plumas: 1,855
- Sierra: 1,052
- Solano: 871
- Yuba: 1,841
Original story:
A developing weather pattern will bring back well above average temperatures and gusty winds by the middle of the week.
High pressure will return to the West Coast, pushing the storm track and any chance for showers north into Canada. Temperatures will climb 10 to 15 degrees above average. Winds will also pick up by Wednesday with 50 mph gusts possible.
This weather pattern, along with very dry fuel at this point in the season, will bring a higher fire concern, which will cause fire weather watches to go into effect in much of Northern California before dawn Wednesday. This time of year tends to be the driest of the year with grasses and other fuels primed for quick ignition. Winds could help rapidly spread a fire making it difficult for firefighters to get containment.
The PG&E Emergency Operations Center is currently alerting customers in the Northern Sierra foothills, the mid and higher Sierra, which is generally north of Yosemite, the North Bay mountains and pockets of the Santa Cruz mountains of a Public Safety Power Shutoff Watch, potentially starting Wednesday.
PG&E Resources:
The alert was upgraded from a warning to a watch on Monday and will impact approximately 50,000 customers in "targeted portions" of 21 counties, according to PG&E. Those counties include: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Lake, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama and Yuba counties.
A Red Flag Warning is scheduled to begin at 5 a.m. Wednesday and last until 11 a.m. on Friday. It effects parts of interior Northern California including the west side of the Sacramento Valley, the Coastal Range, and the Delta, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The NWS issues Red Flag Warning when critical fire weather conditions are expected. Those conditions include strong wind gusts, low humidity, and warm temperatures.
A second period of winds might develop Thursday evening through Friday morning in the Northern Sierra and North Bay mountains and Zones 2 and 5 are in the Elevated category during that time period.
As the wind event gets closer, PG&E will provide more detailed maps showing what areas could lose power.
The latest National Interagency Fire Center wildland fire potential outlook continues to favor above normal, large wildland fire potential for most of Northern California for October, which is followed by normal large fire potential for November and December.
More than 8,400 wildfires have burned well over 6,250 square miles in California since the start of the year.
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