Southern California power companies were preparing to shut off electricity for nearly a half-million homes and businesses on Tuesday when extremely dangerous fire weather was expected to hit a tinder-dry region that has gone without any measurable rain since last spring.
The National Weather Service warned a strong and “damaging” Santa Ana windstorm could begin battering the region Tuesday afternoon and last through Wednesday night, raising the risk of falling branches and broken power lines and creating “a particularly dangerous situation.”
Southern California Edison officials said they were preparing to cut power for nearly 415,000 households or businesses in six counties , including Riverside, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange and Kern counties. That number has crept higher as forecasts became sharper, and as of Monday evening represented about 8% of the utility’s 5 million customers.
San Diego Gas and Electric Co. said it was considering cutting power to nearly 65,000 customers .