Strong Storm Expected to Impact Northern and Central California Starting Saturday and Extending into Next Week
December 10 2021 - 11:45AM
Business Wire
PG&E Has Pre-Positioned Crews to Restore
Power Safely and as Quickly as Possible
With meteorologists forecasting an impactful storm system this
Saturday and into next week in Northern and Central California,
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has thousands of
workers standing by to respond to potential widespread power
outages.
In advance of the storm, PG&E vegetation-management crews
are out today, working to keep trees away from powerlines during
the forecasted wet and windy weather.
PG&E meteorologists, along with experts from the National
Weather Service, forecast that the weather system is expected to
begin across the north by Saturday afternoon and then spread east
and south across our service area, delivering periods of gusty
winds, widespread rain, heavy mountain snow and isolated
thunderstorms. Most impacts of this stormy weather are likely to
occur Sunday through Tuesday.
Rainfall totals with this system will be significant, with
widespread totals of three to five inches of rain across the north,
and rainfall equivalents of five to seven inches of rain likely
across the northern Sierra. Significant snow in the Sierra above
5,000 feet is possible with multiple feet of accumulation in some
locations. As the rain tracks southward through the storm’s
progression, it will be joined by gusty winds, generally from the
south, with expected widespread gusts of 30 to 40 miles per hour
and localized gusts of at least 55 miles per hour possible in the
higher terrain of PG&E’s service area.
“This strong storm has the potential to cause power outages due
to significant rain, gusty winds and heavy snow in the mountains.
We’re urging our customers to have a plan to keep themselves and
their families safe. Our meteorology team is closely tracking the
forecast and working with our crews in the field to ensure we’re
ready to restore power safely and as quickly as possible,” said
PG&E director of meteorology and fire science Scott
Strenfel.
As seen with past storms, these wet and windy conditions might
cause trees, limbs and other debris to fall into power lines,
damage equipment and interrupt electric service. This remains a
concern for this storm due to the drought-intensified conditions
that weakened vegetation and could cause more trees to fall into
our equipment and cause power outages.
PG&E’s meteorology team has developed a Storm Outage
Prediction Model that incorporates real-time weather forecasts,
historical data and system knowledge to accurately show where and
when storm impacts will be most severe. This model enables the
company to pre-stage crews and equipment as storms approach to
enable rapid response to outages.
Workers are prepared to tackle restoration in challenging
weather conditions and are supported by the utility’s geosciences
team. Geosciences is monitoring potential post-wildfire debris
flows from incoming rains which could impact PG&E’s equipment
and vegetation around its equipment.
PG&E is also stockpiling power poles, power lines,
transformers, and other electric equipment at yards throughout our
service territory to restore power to impacted areas as quickly as
possible.
We will also be activating local operations emergency centers
throughout our service area in impacted regions to allocate all
staff and resources to restoration efforts.
Keeping Customers Informed
PG&E knows how important it is to keep its customers
informed. Customers can view real-time outage information on its
website outage center and search by a specific address, by city or
by county. This site has been updated to include in-language
support for 16 languages.
Additionally, customers can sign up for outage notifications by
text, email or phone. PG&E will let customers know the cause of
an outage, when crews are on their way, the estimated restoration
time, and when power is restored.
Storm Safety Tips
- Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power
line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch
or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed
power lines immediately by calling 9-1-1 and then PG&E at
1-800-743-5002.
- Secure outdoor furniture: Deck furniture, lightweight
yard structures and decorative lawn items should be secured as they
can be blown by high winds and damage overhead power lines and
property.
- Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric
generators should ensure they are properly installed by a licensed
electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed
generators pose a significant danger to customers, as well as crews
working on power lines. If using portable generators, be sure they
are in a well-ventilated area.
- Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use
battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of
fire. And keep extra batteries on hand. If you must use candles,
please keep them away from drapes, lampshades, animals and small
children. Do not leave candles unattended.
- Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that
requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering
machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready
as a backup. Having a portable charging device helps to keep your
cell phone running.
- Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic
containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be
placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent
foods from spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works
well in the freezer.
- Turn off appliances: If you experience an outage, unplug
or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits
and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a
single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your
appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to
normal.
- Safely clean up: After the storm has passed, be sure to
safely clean up. Never touch downed wires and always call 8-1-1 or
visit 811express.com at least two full business days before digging
to have all underground utilities safely marked.
Other tips can be found at www.pge.com/beprepared.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211210005408/en/
MEDIA RELATIONS: 415-973-5930
PG&E (NYSE:PCG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
PG&E (NYSE:PCG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024