PG&E is warning that tens of thousands of customers across Northern and Central California could lose power again this week, just days after the utility restored electricity to more than 10,000 households hit by a weekend shutoff. The company says a developing offshore wind event could force a new Public Safety Power Shutoff beginning late Wednesday and lasting through Saturday.
According to PG&E, approximately 30,000 customers in targeted areas of 22 counties are currently in scope for the potential outage, including roughly 2,000 Medical Baseline customers and two tribal governments. The utility says dry, gusty offshore winds are driving the elevated wildfire risk, with the strongest gusts expected in the Sierra, the Southern Central Coast, and parts of the North and East Bay. As CBS Sacramento reports, roughly 3,000 customers who just had their power cut over the weekend could be plunged back into the dark if this new round of shutoffs goes forward.
A Weekend Outage Just Wrapped Up
The timing stings for households in Colusa, Glenn, Shasta, Tehama and Yolo counties, where PG&E began de-energizing lines early on Oct. 11, affecting approximately 10,410 customers. At one point during that earlier event, the potential shutoff zone had stretched to around 12,200 customers across 17 counties, per CBS Sacramento. PG&E said all customers impacted by that outage had been restored by 8 p.m. Monday, closing the books on one shutoff just as the next was taking shape.
In fact, the utility said it was already monitoring weather conditions for another potential wind event later in the week even as crews worked to restore the weekend outage, the company noted in its own update. That overlap is now playing out in real time, with notifications for the newer, larger event going out to customers within about 48 hours of the earlier all-clear.
Which Counties Could Be Hit Hardest
Per CBS Sacramento's review of the county-level breakdown, Butte County has more than 8,300 customers in scope for the possible event, the largest single-county total reported. Calaveras County has about 2,200 customers in the mix, while Shasta County has nearly 2,000. Tuolumne County has roughly 1,650 customers potentially affected, and Sierra County has more than 1,100. Hundreds more customers in El Dorado, Placer, Yuba, Nevada and Amador counties could also see their power cut, according to the outlet's reporting.
PG&E activated its Emergency Operations Center and sent advance notifications in the targeted areas, according to Yubanet. Customer notifications via text, email and automated phone calls began late Monday, roughly two days ahead of the earliest possible start time. PG&E has cautioned that customer counts and locations may change as weather and operational conditions evolve.
Resource Centers Planned if Power Goes Out
PG&E plans to open Community Resource Centers in affected counties, Yubanet reports, offering device charging, Wi-Fi, bottled water and ADA-accessible restrooms for residents who lose power. The centers are a standard part of the utility's response when a shutoff stretches on for days, giving Medical Baseline customers and others a place to keep phones charged and stay cool or warm depending on conditions.
The potential blackout isn't limited to Northern California. Further south, PG&E expects a shutoff Thursday to affect as many as 7,772 customers in San Luis Obispo County, including 263 Medical Baseline customers, according to Edhat. That shutdown is estimated to begin sometime between 2:30 a.m. and noon Thursday, with power likely restored by around 8 p.m. Saturday.
A Pattern Repeating Through Fire Season
PG&E is weighing another potential PSPS after the weekend shutoff. In September, the utility reported a shutoff impacting approximately 9,500 customers across eight counties, with the potential scope growing to roughly 14,000 customers in 12 counties and four tribal areas, PG&E said at the time. Days later, the company shut off power to about 2,500 customers across Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Tehama and Yolo counties due to continued wildfire risk.
For now, PG&E says the scope of this week's potential shutoff could still change as weather conditions develop. Customers in the affected counties are being urged to prepare for possible outages, even as the company continues monitoring the offshore wind pattern moving through the state.
