Pacific Gas & Electric announced it may cut power to about 466,000 customers in parts of 38 counties and 25 tribal communities as soon as Sunday morning, its largest shutoff this year.
The shutoff warnings come as forecasters expect extreme fire danger for much of Northern California this weekend, including winds up to 70 mph in the Sierra. A red flag warning covers much of the region from Modesto to the Oregon border.
Dangerous Fire Weather Conditions expected. Please plan ahead and exercise caution. #sacwx pic.twitter.com/9gbA6AleRP
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) October 23, 2020
PG&E says it is most likely to cut power to customers in the northern and western Sacramento Valley, Northern and Central Sierra and higher elevations of the Bay Area, including the Santa Cruz Mountains, Central Coast Region and portions of southern Kern County. It expects the outages could last into Tuesday.
The shutoff would be the largest by the utility since it cut power to more than 600,000 customers Oct. 29, 2019.
Here are tips for preparing for a potential power shutoff.
The shut-offs are an attempt to prevent the utility's equipment from sparking further wildfires during windy conditions. PG&E cut power to around 37,000 customers in Northern California starting Wednesday, with many just getting power back Friday, the fifth time the utility has done so this year.
Cal Fire is investigating PG&E's role in sparking the Zogg Fire that killed four people in Shasta County earlier this year. So far 31 people have died in wildfires this year, with more than 4.1 million acres burned in the state.
Click the search bar in the bottom left corner of this map to see if your address falls within the areas that could be impacted. This map is approximate, but PG&E also has an address lookup tool that will provide more exact information.
If you do fall within the blackout area, this does not mean that you will definitely lose power, just that you are within the area that PG&E may shut off power to.
The counties likely to be impacted include Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba. Some customers in 25 tribal communities may also be affected.