Planned California Election Day Power Shutoffs to Reach 20,000 People

Planned Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) power shutoffs will affect more than 20,000 people in California beginning on Tuesday, according to the company’s most recent update.
PG&E announced the upcoming Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) on Sunday night after learning that weather would create critical fire conditions with low relative humidity, diminished moisture of vegetation and gusting wind conditions in parts of the Bay Area this week. Originally, the PSPS was expected to affect roughly 15,000 Californians across 17 counties and three tribal areas, but the impact area has grown since a change in the forecast.
PSPS occur when strong winds threaten to cause tree damage to equipment, which could spark a fire under the right conditions. For the current PSPS, 20,152 people will be affected, as well as an additional tribal area.
Power shutoffs also are expected at five polling locations, a jump from the two cited in the PG&E update on Monday morning. The affected polling locations will be Girl Scout House in Solano County, Orchard School in Solano County, Moose Lodge in Solano County, Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center in Lake County and Lakeside Elementary School in Santa Clara County.
PG&E spokesperson Jeff Smith previously told Newsweek that voting won’t be affected, given that shutoffs aren’t expected at the polling locations until after polls close. None of the state’s 48 tabulation centers are within the scope of the planned power shutoff, so vote counting also won’t be affected or delayed, although backup generators have been provided at each tabulation center just in case. Backup generators also have been provided to the five polling locations within the scope.
An increase in expected winds prompted the expanded PSPS forecast.
“Recent precipitation has lowered fire potential,” a PG&E update said. “However, fuels are expected to dry out over the next couple of days. The dry and breezy conditions will lead to elevated fire weather concerns when stronger winds occur mid-week.”
The winds are expected to arrive on Tuesday night. Critical fire conditions could last through Friday morning, Smith said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued red flag warnings across the San Francisco Bay Area forecast region because of high winds and low relative humidity.
“The combination of the aforementioned winds and humidity will translate to fires exhibiting a large resistance to control and thereby creating a hazardous and extreme wildfire environment,” the red flag warning said. “Fire crews and residents are urged to remain abreast of the weather forecast over the next couple of days.”
Most PG&E customers anticipating power shutoffs are in the Western Sacramento Valley, the North Bay and in the elevated terrain of the East Bay.
In San Francisco, wildfire season typically lasts from June to November.
“The main caveat to this is that fire season basically runs until we get our fire season-ending rain event,” NWS meteorologist Rachel Kennedy told Newsweek.
“While we did see rain last week, it was fairly light in total accumulation and not enough to be qualified as a season-ending event,” she continued. “As we start to move into late November and early December, we will be merging into rainy season and hopefully get a couple of good storms to give us enough rain to end fire season.”
Kennedy said red flag warnings are common in the Bay Area during the fall, although they are typically “winding down” at this point in the season.