HIGH WINDS IN AREA EXPECTED WITH STORM
Low-elevation snow is possible
CHICO >> Another potentially large storm appears to be looming in the distance this week with a chance of high wind and a small possibility of low-elevation snow.
According to weather forecasts issued by the Sacramento office of the National Weather Service, the valley has a chance of cold early-morning snow on Thursday and Friday with a higher chance of rain through the week and into the weekend.
Meteorologist Idamis Del Valle-Shoemaker said parts of Butte County are in a wind advisory zone with lower elevations seeing upwards of 45 mile-per-hour gusts which jumps up to 55 miles per hour in the foothills and mountains.
Rainfall could reach up to two inches for higher elevations, Dell Valle-Shoemaker said. She added that the storm will likely get stronger going into the latter half of the week.
The high winds and low snow elevation could create some hazardous conditions on roadways for travelers.
Director for the Butte County Office of Emergency Management Josh Jimerfield said the county is looking toward the silver lining of having more rain and snow for its reservoirs and groundwater levels, adding that the county is also prepared should snow plows be needed.
“We’ve talked to public works and they typically have snow plow equipment pre-positioned,” Jimerfield said.
Jimerfield suggested that those in Butte County check the county website at www. buttecounty.net for road closures and hazardous weather updates. Additionally, the county is working with Yuba County for highway management in the event of snow.
By late Tuesday afternoon, outages and downed trees were being reported on social media. This included a large tree that fell on the Chico State campus. Traffic lights were also affected in areas such as downtown Chico and the Chapman neighborhood as well as East Avenue in north Chico.
Because of the mixedweather event, PG&E has put out information on how it plans to manage its utilities in the wake of the storm.
Joe Wilson, Vice President of PG&E’s North Valley and Sierra Region, spoke on the forecast.
“We’re getting ready for the weather that’s coming in,” Wilson said. “We know this is going to be an event that has multiple stages.”
Wilson said the high winds that began Tuesday could create conditions ripe for power shutoffs, though there is only one planned shut-off which took place in Tehama County.
“It’s pretty significant,” Wilson said. “And we also have the chance for some low snow, potentially in the valley. Hopefully not, but with that low snow also comes the possibility of extended outages. So what we’re doing as a company is we’re trying to prestage crews and equipment
in areas we think will be most impacted. We’ve got a plan, we’re just asking customers to be prepared and have a plan.”
Wilson said the chances of outages from the coming storm are high, not just in Butte County but surrounding counties as well.
“We expect with these types of storms that there will likely be some sort of outage activity in Plumas County and in Glenn County just by virtue of the winds that we’re expecting to see between 40 and 55 miles per hour. But that said, we have really aggressively worked on our vegetation management program to try and trim limbs and trees. We’re also hardening the system too so that has contributed to increased reliability, but again, Mother Nature will do what Mother Nature wants to do.”
People can report outages by calling 1-800-7435002.