6,000+ in 3 Bay Area Counties May Lose Power Tuesday in PG&E Power Shutoff

PG&E has expanded the scope of a planned power shutoff that will affect parts of the North Bay and elsewhere in Northern California starting Tuesday night.

The Public Safety Power Shutoff, PG&E’s term for its action to shut off power in certain areas to try to prevent its equipment from starting wildfires during particularly dry and windy conditions, was initially estimated to affect about 2,100 customers in Napa County, about 50 customers in Solano County and about 250 in Sonoma County.

As of Tuesday, the utility estimated that close to 4,000 of its customers in Napa County could lose power in the shutoff, which could take effect as soon as 7 p.m. and last until Thursday. The number of customers affected has also increased to nearly 1,100 in Solano County and more than 1,600 in Sonoma County. Most of the customers expected to be affected are in Butte and Shasta counties, according to PG&E.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for increased wildfire danger from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the interior North Bay mountains, East Bay hills and Diablo Range, with a particular threat in the area of the northeast Napa Mountains. North to northeast wind gusts of 45-55 mph are expected, with the peak winds anticipated early Wednesday morning, according to the weather service.

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