Unprecedented planned power outages due to high fire danger continued in the Bay Area late Wednesday, with PG&E closely monitoring weather conditions to decide on whether to push forward with shutting off power in other parts of the region.
The utility started just after midnight to proactively turn off power to roughly 800,000 customers in parts of several Bay Area counties and across much of Northern and Central California amid windy and dry conditions, which create extreme fire danger.
- View PG&E’s live outage map
- Enter your address and search PG&E’s map to see if your area will be impacted
- PG&E’s public safety power shutoff event resources
- List of Bay Area school closures due to power shutoffs
PG&E said it plans to turn off power in three phases — the first went into effect around 12 a.m. Wednesday, cutting off power to roughly 513,000 customers across Northern California, including areas of Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
Officials with the utility said late Wednesday they were able to re-energize 44,000 customers after the initial round of outages. PG&E anticipated about 60,000 to 80,000 more customers could get their power back later in the evening.
The second phase, which originally was scheduled to begin around 12 p.m. Wednesday, was delayed due to changes in the weather forecast.
PG&E’s second round of shutoffs is now estimated for around 8 to 10 p.m. and is expected to impact about 250,000 customers across Northern and Central California, including customers in the following Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara.
A third phase of shutoffs is being considered for about 42,000 customers across PG&E’s southernmost service areas.
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The shutoffs mark the most sweeping effort in state history to prevent wildfires caused by windblown power lines. The move comes after two years of catastrophic fires sent PG&E into bankruptcy and forced it to take more aggressive steps to prevent blazes.
Deliberate outages like these could become the new normal in an era in which scientists say climate change is leading to fiercer blazes and longer fire seasons.
In the Bay Area, some 278,000 customers across eight counties are expected to lose power during the shutoffs, which could potentially last for several days, according to PG&E.
San Francisco is the only county in the nine-county Bay Area where power will not be affected.
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The planned outages have prompted many schools and colleges in the Bay Area to cancel classes. See a full list of school closures here.
There were concerns that the power outages would force Caltrans to close the Caldecott and Tom Lantos (Devil’s Slide) Tunnels, but both will remain open. Crews brought in temporary generators to power the Caldecott Tunnel and rerouted power to keep the Tom Lantos Tunnels open.
In anticipation of the shutoff, Sonoma County and Santa Clara County have declared a local emergency in response.
The city of Morgan Hill will enforce a curfew Wednesday through Thursday in areas impacted by the shutoff.
“This curfew is for the safety of the community to reduce the opportunity of crime,” the city of Morgan Hill said in a Facebook post.
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The county-by-county breakdown below shows how many Bay Area customers are expected to be impacted by the shutoffs:
- Alameda County: 32,680 customers in Oakland, Castro Valley, Fremont, Union City, Berkeley, Hayward, San Leandro, Sunol, Pleasanton, Livermore.
- Contra Costa County: 51,310 customers in San Ramon, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Pinole, Richmond, Kensington, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Berkeley, Canyon, San Pablo, Pittsburg, Rodeo, Concord, Albany, Antioch, Martinez.
- Marin County: 9,855 customers in Bolinas, Fairfax, Mill Valley, Muir Beach, Olema, Sausalito, Stinson Beach.
- Napa County: 32,124 customers in Napa, Saint Helena, Calistoga, Angwin, Pope Valley, Rutherford, Oakville, Deer Park, Lake Berryessa, Yountville, American Canyon.
- San Mateo County: 14,766 customers in Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Woodside, Moss Beach, Montara, Portola Valley, Pescadero, La Honda, Redwood City, San Gregorio, Loma Mar, San Mateo, Menlo Park, Emerald Hills, Pacifica, Princeton, Davenport, Palo Alto.
- Santa Clara County: 38,250 customers in San Jose, Morgan Hill, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Redwood Estates, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Coyote, Gilroy, Mount Hamilton, Palo Alto, Holy City.
- Solano County: 32,863 customers in Fairfield, Vacaville, Suisun City, Vallejo, Dixon.
- Sonoma County: 66,289 customers in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Petaluma, Healdsburg, Cloverdale, Glen Ellen, Penngrove, Geyserville, Kenwood, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Annapolis, Stewarts Point, Cotati, Cazadero, Guerneville, Larkfield, El Verano, Boyes Hot Springs, Fulton, Bodega Bay.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Source: NBC Bay Area