LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – An early December wind event that’s forecast to begin over the weekend could result in a public safety power shutoff that would impact more than 130,000 power customers in 15 Northern California counties – including Lake – on Monday.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Friday began notifying customers in targeted portions of the North State that it may need to turn off power early Monday morning due to a combination of dry and high wind gusts that pose an increased risk for damage to the electric system, with the potential to ignite fires in areas with dry vegetation.
The company said the high fire risk conditions are expected to arrive late Sunday evening. High winds are forecast to continue until early Monday morning, peaking in strength during the day. Those conditions could linger in some regions through early Tuesday.
On Friday evening, PG&E said that while there is still uncertainty about the timing and strength of the wind event, the potential shutoff is forecasted to affect approximately 130,000 customers in targeted portions of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Lake, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, Sonoma, Tulare, Tuolumne and Yuba counties.
In Lake County, approximately 1,223 customers – 67 of them in the Medical Baseline program – are included in the shutoff area, PG&E said.
A PG&E map, published below, shows the impacted customers are in the south county, west of Middletown and throughout the Cobb area.
Power to those areas in Lake County is to be turned off between 4 and 6 a.m. Monday and restored by 10 p.m. Tuesday.
In the neighboring counties of Napa and Sonoma, PG&E said 6,780 and 1,797 customers, respectively, are expected to be impacted.
PG&E said that, once the strong winds subside, crews will inspect electrical equipment for damage. It said that, based on weather conditions, it will restore most impacted customers within 12 daylight hours.
During PSPS events, PG&E opens temporary community resource centers, or CRCs, to support customers, offering ADA-accessible restrooms and hand-washing stations; medical-equipment charging; Wi-Fi; bottled water; and nonperishable snacks.
Two CRCs are expected to be set up in Lake County: at the Little Red Schoolhouse, 15780 Bottlerock Road in Cobb, and Twin Pine Casino and Hotel, 22223 Highway 29, Middletown.
They will be open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily during the shutoff.
Lake County was last impacted by a public safety power shutoff in late October, when more than 21,000 residents were included in a shutoff, as Lake County News has reported.
For more information, visit the PG&E PSPS website.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
PG&E says public safety power shutoff possible for portion of Lake County Monday
- Elizabeth Larson
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