PG& E begins to cut power amid warning
Strong winds died down in the North Bay hills and the Diablo mountains early Wednesday morning, but were expected to regain their intensity overnight, a development that meteorologists warned would lead to critical fire conditions.
In response to the forecasted flurry of winds — gusts that could damage electrical equipment and start new fires — Pacific Gas and Electric Co. began cutting power to about 37,000 customers Wednesday, though most would not see outages until Thursday morning.
The announcement of the utility’s plans led to a run on generators in some areas. PG& E had raised its forecast from “watch” to “warning” Wednesday, making the outages all but a certainty, but cut the number of customers potentially affected by 31% based on shifting conditions.
The National Weather SerPG&
vice issued a new red flag warning on the heels of one that ended early Wednesday, saying powerful winds would kick up again throughout the Bay Area’s highest elevations. The new warning was expected to last through 8 a. m. Friday.
Windy conditions on the highest peaks and ridgelines of northern Napa County and interior Sonoma County, where firefighters muscled the Glass Fire to full containment on Tuesday, are among the greatest concern for meteorologists and firefighters.
But the offshore winds could strike any of the area’s highest elevations, which is why meteorologists have issued the red flag warning for the North Bay mountains, the East Bay hills and interior valleys, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the San Mateo coast. Sustained winds up to 30 mph and gusts of 50 to 60 mph are anticipated.
PG& E said that more than 4,200 homes and businesses across the Bay Area were expected to be affected by shutoffs planned for Thursday and Friday. Parts of northern Sonoma County near the Lake County border saw related outages Wednesday evening, according to an online PG& E map, which was earlier than its estimates.
According to PG& E’s projections, Northern Napa County would be hardest hit, including Calistoga, which narrowly avoided disaster during the Glass Fire earlier this month.
The company lifted planned power shutoffs for Livermore and most other parts of Alameda County, which now faces very limited outages, and removed Solano County from the plan.
But that did not stop a mad dash as customers flocked to purchase or repair power generators amid worries of keeping fridges and other essentials running.
John Pidoli, the secondgeneration owner of Livermore
Saw and Mower Shop, said customers were calling to check and see if portable generators were available at his store. He’d seen the trend all summer, he said.
“With all the fires we’re having lately, generator sales have increased tremendously. We couldn’t keep them from flying off the shelves,” he said.
Pidoli said it was a new normal. The past few years with the wildfires and smoke, and this year with the added woes of the pandemic, has caused generators to be a topselling item, and he tries his best to keep stock. He carries a Honda brand that retails for between $ 1,000 and $ 5,000.
Business is also booming for repairs at his shop, he said.
“We’re seeing a lot more repair work requests. People who already have generators and want to make sure it works during the shutoffs are coming in.”
While worrisome for their potential to spark new fires, the offshore winds were helpful in keeping Bay Area skies clear of smoke from such infernos raging to the east as the 350,000acre Creek Fire in Fresno County, which was 61% contained. Air quality throughout the region was rated “good” by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
No rain is on the horizon just yet. The area is likely to remain bone dry through the end of the month, meteorologists said.
For San Francisco, should rainfall remain scarce through October, the city would tie its 20thlongest dry stretch on record: May 15 to Oct. 27, 1945, according to the weather service.