PG&E could turn off power in parts of several Bay Area counties and across much of Northern, Central and coastal California Wednesday due to elevated fire danger, the utility announced Monday.
The Public Safety Power Shutoff could affect up to 600,000 customers in 30 counties overall, the utility said.
- Enter your address and search PG&E's map to see if your area will be impacted
- PG&E's Public Safety Power Shutoff event resources
The Napa County Sheriff's Office said the utility plans to begin the public safety power shutoffs in "a large portion of the county" starting Wednesday morning, adding that the shutoffs could last five days or longer.
Aside from Napa County, PG&E's power shutoffs could impact customers in sections of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties, PG&E said. Customers in 22 other Northern California counties could also have their power turned off. Click the map below to find out if your service may be impacted by a possible power shutoff.
PG&E is actively monitoring the weather conditions and will provide further updates as they become available. As of Monday afternoon, it was not known at what exact time the power shutoffs could occur, where exactly they could occur and how many customers could be impacted.
Much of the Bay Area will be under a fire weather watch between 5 a.m. Wednesday and 5 p.m. Thursday due to strong winds and low humidity in the forecast, according to the National Weather Service.
The fire weather watch applies to the North Bay hills and valleys, East Bay hills and valleys, Diablo Range and Santa Cruz Mountains, the weather service said.
Higher elevations could face winds anywhere from 20 to 30 mph with gusts reaching 45 to 55 mph, the weather service said. Spots in the valleys could see gusts up to 30 mph.
U.S. & World
The strongest winds are expected to blow late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.
"This event has the potential to be the strongest offshore wind event of the year," the weather service said in a tweet.
Some of the most destructive blazes in California in recent years were started by PG&E power lines. Winds can knock down live wires and power poles or drive trees and other vegetation into contact with them.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
