LAKE COUNTY — After saying it anticipated starting power shutoffs in nine counties, Pacific Gas and Electric Company decided not to cut power to Lake or five other counties Monday.
The utility had said it expected to shut off power to 124,000 customers in nine Northern California counties including Lake beginning Monday evening.
In three of those counties—Yuba, Butte and Nevada— 21,000 customers were still slotted for shutoffs beginning Monday evening.
“Based on the current forecast, the PSPS impact footprint has been reduced to 21,000 in three counties in the Sierra foothills from an original forecast of 124,000 in nine counties in the Sierra foothills and the North Bay,” said PG&E spokesperson Deanna Contreras on Monday. “No customers in the North Bay are expected to be affected by Monday’s PSPS, nor are customers in El Dorado, Placer and Sutter counties expected to be affected tonight.”
PG&E has said it will expand its planned power shutoff program this year, bringing all 5.4 million of its electric customers under shutoff potential. Shutoffs are meant to reduce the probability of PG&E’s equipment sparking wildfires, and are triggered by “extreme” weather conditions that include high wind speeds, low humidity, and high temperatures.
On Sunday, the National Weather service issued a high fire risk “red flag warning” for much of Northern California including all of Lake County, noting the “potential for rapid spread of fire” and “easier fire starts.”
High fire danger weather forecasts led PG&E to notify six counties of a potential shutoff on Saturday, but Lake, Sonoma and Napa were not added to the list until Sunday night, said Contreras.
While the most immediate threat of a shutoff had passed Monday for the majority of the counties that could have been affected, PG&E noted it was still monitoring weather patterns for potential shutoffs in those areas beginning tonight.
“PG&E will continue to closely monitor the weather for Monday night and again for Tuesday’s 9/24 potential PSPS event,” the utility wrote on its Twitter page.
“PG&E will make a final decision on whether to initiate a second Public Safety Power Shutoff event late Tuesday morning,” Contreras said Monday. “If a PSPS proceeds in these counties, it is anticipated to take place during the late afternoon or evening hours tonight.”
What had been anticipated
According to PG&E, more than 12,000 Lake County customers could have been affected by a shutoff Monday, including 796 “medical baseline” customers who use electricity to power their medical equipment. Across all nine counties originally included in the potential shutoff, 124,000 customers could have been affected.
The same areas and customer totals were still under monitoring as of Monday afternoon for Todays potential shutoff, according to PG&E.
On Monday, NWS weather forecasts for Lake County had predicted wind gusts in Clearlake up to 20 miles per hour Monday night, with highs in the 90s Tuesday and Wednesday. Expected temperatures were similar in Middletown, but wind speeds were somewhat lower, at 9–13 miles per hour Monday night, and similar speeds through Wednesday.
While PG&E announced it would open “community resource centers” in the counties that could be affected by the anticipated shutoff, no centers—which PG&E said would offer electric device charging, air conditioning, bottled water and restrooms during daylight hours only—were announced for Lake County.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said just before PG&E’s decision not to shut power off locally Monday afternoon that he did not yet know where PG&E planned to open resource centers in Lake County. He noted that potential locations had been identified in each supervisory district of the county.
In Clearlake, city staff had been prepared to react should a shutoff for the area have been confirmed. “We’re doing preparations like it’s going to happen,” Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora said at the time.
Flora was not aware of where resource centers would be located, and noted that since PG&E’s former local representative for Lake County, Herman Hernandez, had left the utility, communication had been “kind of hit and miss.”
