California Fire Danger Could Cause PG&E Power Outages on Election Night

Tens of thousands of Californians could lose power on Election Day due to dangerous fire conditions this week, according to PG&E.

The public safety power shut-offs, which could affect 15,000 customers in 17 counties, are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday to protect power at polling locations. Just one could be affected by the planned outages.

“PG&E has been taking proactive measures to ensure the reliability of service to key election facilities and is working with state and local election officials in preparation for Tuesday’s elections,” the company said in a statement on Sunday.

Low relative humidity and gusty winds are expected to sweep across the state Tuesday night, increasing the likelihood of fires.

The Bay Area will be at low risk due to early fall rain, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA. Still, much of the region will be under a red flag warning from the National Weather Service from midday Tuesday through Thursday morning.

High-elevation areas in Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties are at risk of power outages. The Santa Cruz Mountains and other high wildfire-risk areas through Butte County could also see shut-offs.

“Conditions will still be quite windy with low humidity for an extended period this week, [so] there may still be some fires (especially in grassland settings),” Swain wrote in his “Weather West” blog on Sunday.

Areas that have gotten at least a half inch of rain so far this fall should be in good shape, he said.

Brush and vegetation in the central and southern regions of the state — where there has not been significant precipitation — will be more heavily affected. There, brush and vegetation are becoming increasingly dry after spring and summer heat, making them more susceptible to fast-spreading blazes.

The PG&E shut-offs are being planned in part to protect voting and vote tabulation centers across the state during Tuesday’s election, the utility said in its statement on Sunday. Only one of California’s 7,000 polling places in PG&E’s service area is within a potential shut-off zone, it said. Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center in Lake County could lose power as early as 9:30 p.m., an hour and a half after polls close, though the utility said it is ensuring backup power generation is available.

None of the 48 tabulation centers in PG&E’s service area are expected to experience shut-offs.

On Wednesday, a second — likely stronger — weather system is expected across the state. It could cause windier conditions in the north and a moderate to strong Santa Ana wind event in the south. Conditions in the Bay Area will likely stay “below extreme levels.”

PG&E said its planned outages could continue in some areas through Thursday.