California faces power cuts as utilities warn of fire weather

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 12:32 · Archive

Pacific Gas & Electric warns about 70,000 customers across 29 California counties face planned power shutoffs starting Wednesday to prevent wildfires amid dangerous winds.

Pacific Gas & Electric has warned that about 70,000 customers across 29 California counties may lose power in planned shutoffs from Wednesday through Saturday. The utility is implementing the cuts to prevent wildfires amid dangerous fire weather conditions. San Luis Obispo County will be most heavily affected, with more than 10,000 customers losing power, followed by Placer County with more than 9,000 and Calaveras County with 8,000.

The National Weather Service forecasts dry, gusty conditions with winds averaging 20 to 40 mph and gusts between 50 and 70 mph across the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County and the Santa Susana Mountains. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for parts of central and Northern California from Thursday through Friday morning, indicating a heightened risk of wildfire activity and noting that any fires would expand rapidly.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she instructed the fire department to deploy crews and equipment ahead of the windstorm and requested help from state emergency services. Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, described it as 'a pretty widespread event of elevated fire weather' across the region. Once the dangerous weather passes, crews will need to inspect power lines before electricity can be restored. Similar shutoffs affected about 12,200 customers across 17 counties last weekend.

How it is being reported

• California braces for wildfire nightmare as 70mph winds threaten hundreds of thousands with blackoutsCalifornia is bracing for fire weather, with thousands potentially losing power as utilities aim to prevent wildfires during hot and windy conditionsIndependent World · 15 Oct, 12:12
• Californians face power blackouts as utility warns 22 counties under threatThe utility is warning that 30,000 customers across more than a third of counties in the state could lose power thanks to gusty conditions.New York Post · 13 Oct, 17:47

In this story: Pacific Gas & Electric · California · Karen Bass · San Luis Obispo County · Placer County · National Weather Service · Los Angeles · Sierra Nevada

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