PG&E officials say due to high winds, extremely low humidity, dry vegetation and severe drought, the utility company has notified customers in 36 counties of a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) expected to start Sunday and last until Tuesday.
Power outages are estimated to begin at 2 p.m. in Napa County, at 3 p.m. in Solano, Sonoma and Contra Costa counties and 5 p.m. in Marin County, though these times could change, the utility told ABC7.
Track when shutoffs will begin in your county here.
“The de-energization will begin around 10 a.m. Sunday morning, beginning with customers in the Northern Sierra region. Shutoffs will continue through Monday into late evening,” PG&E said in a statement Sunday morning.
RELATED: City of Berkeley warns residents of critical fire danger, several East Bay parks to close on Sunday
MORE: Find out if you’ll be impacted by PSPS here
Here’s a county-by-county breakdown of how many customers are expected to lose power:
A Red Flag Warning takes effect at 11 a.m. Sunday, lasting through 11 a.m. Tuesday because of the fire conditions. Areas of concern include the North Bay Mountains, East Bay Hills, coastal regions, Santa Cruz Mountains and lower valleys.
“Dangerously dry conditions make for easier fire starts and increase potential for rapid spread of fire,” the National Weather Service said in a tweet Saturday.
The “peak” period of concern will be from 6 p.m. Sunday through 7 to 10 a.m. on Monday, the agency said.
A Wind Advisory also takes effect at 4 p.m. Sunday through 11 a.m. Monday. Affected areas include essentially all of the Bay Area, according to the NWS.
The agency is warning that winds might blow down power lines and trees.
In Lafayette, officials say latest information from PG&E indicates that de-energization may be pushed back from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday and power will come back on Tuesday, instead of Wednesday, according to an alert sent on Saturday at 6 p.m.
PG&E is expected to shut off power in parts of Calistoga Sunday night between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., with restoration not expected until 10 p.m. on Tuesday. This update came Saturday afternoon from the City of Calistoga, which is expected to be impacted by the utility’s Public Safety Power Shutoffs this weekend because of critical fire conditions.
PG&E’s meteorologist Scott Strenfel says the upcoming wind event is forecasting gusts from 40 to 65 mph and is projected to be the “strongest of the season.” It’s bringing back memories of how some of the worst fires in our state began.
“These will be equivalent, if not stronger than the Tubbs Fire of 2017 and the Kincade of 2019,” said Paul Lowenthal, Assistant Fire Marshal of Santa Rosa Fire Department.
He said they’re trying to get the message out to the community that this one will be from everything they can tell — much different from what the area has experienced this far.
RELATED: AccuWeather forecast: Red Flag Warning, Wind Advisory issued for Bay Area on Sunday
Firefighters and residents across the Bay Area are gearing up for the potential outages and the extreme fire danger this weekend.
Generators were firing up at Aaction Rents in Santa Rosa, Gavin Williams only has a few more models left in stock.
“These are our 2.5-kilowatt, 6-kilowatt, small suitcase 2-kilowatt, they can power a fridge or appliances,” said Williams.
VIDEO: 38,000 in Sonoma Co. could lose power in possible PG&E PSPS
The threat of another PSPS by PG&E has homeowners getting ready.
“It’s getting old, getting old real quick,” said Kelley Haeussler.
Haeussler is the manager of Village True Value Hardware, she knows what her customers need — flashlights and lanterns.
“During a power outage, everybody wants battery powered everything because not everybody has generators,” Haeussler said.
The store has lost power so many times, a back-up generator is ready to go to keep the doors open.
Bob Lombardi was buying gas cans to fuel his generator, he’s worried about the forecast.
“I’ve lived in Santa Rosa my entire life, I’ve never seen winds like we’ve had in the last three to four years, never,” said Lombardi.
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Firefighters are gearing up at the Larkfield station of the Sonoma County Fire District, located in the same neighborhood which burned in 2017. It’s not far from other major fires this year and last. A sign on Redwood Highway now warns all about the extreme fire threat.
“We are ready, there’s no denying firefighters are fatigued, it’s been a crazy year, but our mission is to prepare, hydrate, be rested and ready to go,” said Sonoma County Fire District Captain Fred Leuenberger.
The captain says it’s all hands on deck this weekend, with crews ready to protect homeowners and property if needed.
PG&E officials say 110 community resource centers will be open across the state during the event. They will be open starting on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will close at 10 p.m.
You can read the full advisory and check for the most current updates here.
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