PG&E says about 15,000 customers in 17 counties may have their power shut off this week — including many on Election Day — because of high winds and dry conditions.
PG&E implements what the utility calls Public Safety Power Shutoffs to avoid the sparking of destructive wildfires. On its seven-day shutoff forecast, it lists 12 counties where shutoffs are likely Tuesday.
The counties under PG&E’s watch for shutoffs Tuesday are Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Plumas, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus and Yolo. Additional counties were added to the watch list for Wednesday and Thursday and the utility on Sunday notified the customers who may be impacted.
The National Weather Service is forecasting elevated fire weather concerns in the region starting Tuesday, with winds of up to 50-60 mph in higher elevations by Wednesday evening.
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PG&E officials say the first outages could begin around 8 p.m. Tuesday, the time that polls will close in California.