SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Hundreds of thousands of Northern California residents are back in the dark after PG&E decided to conduct another round of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) Wednesday.
But how soon is too soon for another shutoff? Apparently Mother Nature didn’t get that memo. If the shutoffs are to be the new normal, residents in the shutoff zones may have to think long-term - especially during the autumn months.
Californians know the possibility for fire isn’t a new concept. It’s fire season. The grass is at its driest, the humidity in the air is also bone dry, that combined with strong winds is a recipe for disaster.
What’s new is the plan to take action in preventing these fires. While immediately selling your house and moving overnight isn’t a realistic option for most people, knowing the timing of these systems can be helpful.
That’s when ABC10 meteorologists begin looking at the winds. The shutoffs are driven by how fast these winds will move and how long they’ll be sticking around. This also dictates how much propane you’ll need for your generators and how many supplies you’ll need when you’re left in the dark.
Starting from 5 p.m. Wednesday, the winds really begin kicking up dust. The strongest wind gusts may be from 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to about 3:30 a.m. Thursday. Strong winds may still affect your morning commute, too, with speeds 15-20 miles per hour. The Foothills could be affected as late as Thursday afternoon.
Gusts will be around 30 to 45 miles per hour in the Foothills. Some canyons and ridges though with rough terrain could feel gusts 50+ miles per hour.
The timing of these winds is similar to what we saw just weeks ago as the first PG&E shutoffs were issued. It’s also very common to see these winds peak overnight through the early morning hours. We saw that with the Camp Fire.
You may not be able to control the winds, but you can control how well you and your family are prepared.
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