Thousands of Californians experienced power outages on Friday, with forecasts suggesting that even more could lose electricity over the weekend as a weather system brings dangerous dry and gusty winds across the state.
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), California’s largest utility, has shut off power to nearly 7,000 customers in Central and Northern California since Thursday. The utility announced that these outages would likely continue through the weekend due to severe weather and the heightened risk of wildfires.
Similarly, Southern California Edison (SCE), the principal power provider in Southern California, cut power to over 1,000 customers Friday morning, primarily in Santa Barbara and Kern counties. However, the company indicated that more than 32,000 additional customers could face power shutoffs over the weekend as windy conditions persist.
Meteorologist Kristen Lund from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Oxnard noted that the windy conditions and low humidity create favorable conditions for potentially rapid fire growth in southern Santa Barbara County and neighboring areas, even if they do not reach the threshold for a red flag warning.
Jeff Monford, spokesperson for Edison, emphasized the necessity of planned outages as a last resort for public safety. These Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) have been implemented by utilities to decrease the likelihood of fire sparks during high-risk conditions, a practice that gained traction after several catastrophic fires in the past decade were linked to utility equipment.
The devastating Eaton fire that occurred in January, which resulted in 18 fatalities and the destruction of numerous homes and buildings in Altadena and surrounding areas, has drawn scrutiny to SCE’s equipment.
Further outages are being contemplated by SCE in parts of Santa Barbara County, as well as Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Kern, Inyo, Tulare, and Mono counties. On the other hand, PG&E is considering power shutdowns for almost 12,000 customers across 15 counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, and Fresno.
The NWS has issued a few red flag warnings in California, which signal critical fire weather conditions across significant areas of the state and much of the western United States. This includes the Indian Wells valley in the Mojave Desert and portions of northern San Bernardino, Inyo, and Kern counties.
Forecasts indicate that westward winds could reach gusts up to 60 mph through early Saturday in these regions, prompting the NWS to caution that any fires that ignite in these circumstances are likely to spread rapidly.
In Lassen, Alpine, and Mono counties near the Nevada border, red flag warnings are in effect through midnight Friday as well.
Additional critical fire warnings stretch across almost all of Nevada and Utah, northern Arizona, and large parts of Colorado.
The NWS cautions that a combination of strong winds, low humidity, and warm temperatures can foster extreme fire behavior. They advise the public to avoid outdoor activities capable of igniting sparks near dry vegetation, such as yard work, target shooting, or campfires.
While some regions have not yet reached the red flag warning status, the NWS has issued several other advisories regarding high winds and fire risks, most of which extend through the weekend.
High wind alerts are in effect for various parts of southern Santa Barbara County, northern Los Angeles County, and southern San Luis Obispo County. Gusty northerly winds are anticipated to continue for several nights, with recorded gusts reaching 60 mph Thursday evening in southern Santa Barbara County.
Kristen Lund highlighted that the current conditions pose a significant fire risk.
The entire Mojave Desert is under a wind advisory for most of the weekend, while much of the Central Valley faces upgraded red flag warnings.
The NWS also predicts particularly strong gusts across the Sacramento Valley near Interstate 5 and around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, extending into the northern San Joaquin Valley.
Across the Bay Area, elevated fire risks have been noted, particularly in the interior East Bay, eastern Santa Clara Hills, and the Gabilan Range in Monterey and San Benito counties.
As a reminder, the NWS has urged the public to engage in prevention strategies, stating, “One less spark, one less fire!” on their social media platforms, emphasizing the importance of caution during this volatile weather pattern.
image source from：latimes
