Northern California Residents Could See Power Cuts Due to Fire Risk

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Residents across the Sierra Nevada and Sacramento Valley are bracing for possible shutoffs this weekend due to high winds and dry conditions. Large areas of Northern California could have their electricity turned off over the weekend as the region is hit with critical fire weather conditions, according to the power company PG&E.

The utility said that public safety power shutoffs are likely on Saturday and Sunday in eight counties around the Sierra Nevada and Sacramento Valley due to high winds and dry conditions, according to reporting from KQED in San Francisco. Additional counties will be under watch as the weekend progresses, and some will continue to be monitored through Monday.

“The Emergency Operations Center remains activated, and PG&E meteorology is continuing to monitor the potential for elevated fire weather conditions to occur tomorrow through Monday morning,” PG&E said in its Friday forecast.

The power company issued Public Safety Power Shutoff warnings for El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra and Tehama counties on Saturday and Sunday, meaning electricity shutoffs are likely. The utility will expand its monitoring to Butte, Colusa, Glenn and Yolo counties on Sunday, meaning shutoffs could be necessary. 

By Monday, only Tehama County will be under watch for likely power cuts, while Butte, Colusa and Glenn counties continue to be monitored.

PG&E said that shutoffs aren’t expected countywide, and where they’re necessary will be determined at a “granular” level. On Thursday, the utility predicted that around 14,000 customers across 11 counties could be affected.

Cooler weather is expected to blow into Northern California from the Pacific Northwest throughout the weekend after a week of extreme heat, but those milder temperatures will be accompanied by fast-moving winds, which threaten to quickly spread any fires that break out among dried-up brush and grasses. 

Related: Big Sur Fires Cost Around $80 Million So Far, Could Burn Until October Rains

PG&E said the Bay Area should expect gusty winds between 25 and 35 mph on Saturday, while further north, over the North and Central Sierra, gusts could hit 40 to 50 mph. Those winds, combined with a period of low relative humidity, will contribute to elevated fire potential, according to PG&E.

On its tail, another offshore flow of winds up to 35 mph is expected to develop over the Sacramento Valley, extending fire risk to the region on Sunday. 

“Any fires that develop will spread rapidly,” the National Weather Service wrote in a Fire Weather Watch issued Friday. 

NWS predicts that between 11 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Monday, relative humidity will drop to between 10% and 25%, further drying out flammable dead forest fuels. PG&E said in its forecast that dead fuel moisture values are already trending near or below normal for this time of year, and moisture content in brush is steadily declining, putting most species at “critically flammable levels.”

After the weekend, “fair, dry and seasonable” weather is expected to return to the region for the remainder of next week.

Throughout the fall, the Northern Operations Predictive Services’ latest four-month seasonal outlook for significant fire potential predicts near- to above-normal potential in northeastern California throughout September, followed by normal fire potential in October through December. 

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