PG&E may blackout power from 17th to prevent wildfires, affecting 5 Bay Area counties_1

In an effort to prevent wildfires, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced that it may begin implementing power shutoffs starting Thursday, affecting users in five counties across the Bay Area. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, PG&E is closely monitoring weather conditions and considering these preventative measures for Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties.

PG&E has indicated that strong winds and dry offshore conditions have heightened concerns about wildfires. As a result, nearly 30 counties statewide could face outages beginning Thursday, October 17. Specific locations, maps, and further details regarding the potential shutoffs will typically be released two days in advance.

The possible outages are in alignment with a red flag warning set to take effect Thursday night at 11 PM and continuing through Saturday, October 19, at 5 PM. This alert will encompass the entire Bay Area, excluding coastal Marin County, as well as regions in the Sacramento Valley, Nevada foothills, Lake County, the Delta, the northern San Joaquin Valley, and the Central Coast, but not including the Monterey Bay area.

PG&E is shutting off power in certain areas because dry and hot conditions there could lead to equipment failures that might spark wildfires. Forecasters predict northerly to northeasterly winds in the Santa Clara mountains, North Bay, and East Bay valleys reaching speeds of up to 45 miles per hour, with gusts in the North and East Bay hills potentially exceeding 60 miles per hour. The strongest gusts are expected to occur on Friday morning and Saturday morning.

According to the Northern California Geographic Area Coordination Center, vegetation throughout Northern California has become significantly drier than usual following a hot summer and an early October heatwave. The relative humidity during the day on Friday and Saturday could drop to as low as 10%, exacerbating the dryness of the vegetation. With dry weather and strong winds, any ignitions could quickly escalate into uncontrollable fires.