Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) crews have restored power to nearly all customers affected following a powerful windstorm that raked the company’s service area January 18 through January 20.
By Jan. 22 mid-day, approximately 98% of the nearly 400,000 customers who lost power during the windstorm had had their power restored. This includes the customers affected by a small, targeted Public Safety Power Shutoff in the southern part of PG&E’s service area that began Jan. 18 night and lasted through January 20 morning.
Even as the company worked to restore power to around 8,500 customers in especially hard-hit communities in the Sierra Foothills and Santa Cruz Mountains, PG&E meteorologists monitored a winter system that could bring wet and stormy weather to the service area.
"The year is off to an active start on the weather front and we stand ready as a One PG&E team to respond safely and as quickly as possible to extreme conditions,” said Sumeet Singh, PG&E’s interim president. “We are tremendously grateful to our customers for their patience as we continue to work to restore power in areas significantly affected by intense winds. The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility and we are tracking incoming weather to mobilize fresh crews and additional resources to respond to this potential winter storm system."
PG&E crews continued to inspect and repair power lines in the Santa Cruz Mountains and in the Sierra foothills in portions of Mariposa and Madera counties. Wind gusts were recorded as high as 80 mph in the Santa Cruz Mountains and more than 60 mph in the Sierra foothills.
PG&E’s meteorology team predicted a relatively cold and strong weather system would move through the company’s service area late January 24 into January 26, delivering breezy to gusty winds, widespread rain and mountain snows dropping at elevations as low as 2,000 to 3,000 feet.
A second weather system with a broad trough of moisture could affect the service area beginning January 26, bringing moderate to heavy rain and gusty winds. Forecasts show colder and unsettled weather with a chance of rain and mountain snow potentially continuing through the week.
