Wet and Windy Weather to Impact Northern and Central California This Week
November 29 2022 - 8:33PM
Business Wire
As PG&E Prepares for Storms, Customers
Should Plan Ahead in Case Outages Occur
With meteorologists forecasting a significant weather system
this week in Northern and Central California, Pacific Gas and
Electric Company (PG&E) is ready to respond to potential power
outages and urges customers to be prepared as well.
PG&E meteorologists, along with experts from the National
Weather Service, forecast that a significant weather system will
move into the region Wednesday night and into Thursday bringing a
chance of rain and mountain snow to much of Northern and Central
California. Wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph are possible on Thursday.
Another weather system may move into the state over the weekend
with more unsettled weather.
Ahead of storms, PG&E stockpiles power poles, powerlines,
transformers and other electric equipment at yards throughout our
service territory in preparation to restore power to affected areas
safely and as quickly as possible.
If needed, local PG&E operations emergency centers will
activate in impacted regions to more efficiently allocate crews,
materials and other resources to restoration efforts. PG&E
routinely practices its preparedness and response to storms and
other emergencies through company exercises and drills with local
first responders.
“As with any wintry weather event, there is the potential of
power outages due to rain, gusty winds and mountain snow. Our
meteorology team has been tracking this weather system and is
coordinating with our Electric Operations to ensure the company is
prepared to respond to outages. It’s always important for our
customers to have an emergency plan in place for themselves and
their families, too,” said Evan Duffey, a PG&E
meteorologist.
Wet and windy conditions could cause trees, limbs and other
debris to fall into powerlines, damage equipment and interrupt
electric service. PG&E vegetation management crews work
year-round to keep trees away from powerlines.
PG&E’s meteorology team utilizes 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.
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 support in 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 has been 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.
- 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 powerlines. 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 and 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.
- 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: Safety and Preparedness, Storm
Safety, and Safety Action Center
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 www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
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