As PG&E staff meteorologists closely track
the weather, the company is reaching out to customers with
resources to stay safe and cool.
OAKLAND,
Calif., July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With the
Fourth of July holiday just days away, Pacific Gas and Electric
Company (PG&E) meteorologists are monitoring weather models
that forecast a heat wave that will affect millions of
Californians. Above-average temperatures are expected to begin on
Tuesday and Wednesday and last through the July 4 holiday and weekend. In preparation for
the heat event, PG&E has activated its Emergency Operations
Center and all regional and local emergency centers; additionally,
it is asking customers to have a plan for possible power outages
and to take steps to stay safe during the long and brutal heat
wave.
According to PG&E's in-house meteorologists, who are
tracking this week's heat event from PG&E's Emergency
Operations Center, a strong high-pressure system will begin
building today, resulting in triple-digit heat mid-week across the
interior valleys, especially the Sacramento Valley, as the week
continues. Along the coast, the marine layer will weaken, driving
temperatures into the mid-90s and low 100s in coastal valleys and
80s in the Bay.
"Widespread heat waves such as the one forecast for the
July 4 week mean all hands on deck
for PG&E. You will see crews and PG&E trucks throughout
your hometown if the heat affects our equipment, and we'll be
working around the clock to restore customers safely and as quickly
as possible," said Rod Robinson,
Vice President of Electric System Operations.
Our outage prediction models help determine potential timing,
location and number of heat-related power outages to assign
troubleworkers (PG&E first responders), crews and other
resources to areas that need support. PG&E has pre-positioned
crews and equipment, such as transformers, expected to be affected
by heat-related outages and will mobilize equipment to other areas,
as needed, based on real-time impacts.
During extended periods of high temperatures, energy use
increases and electric grid equipment gets hotter. Equipment such
as transformers need time to cool down during a heat wave. This
usually happens overnight when temperatures and energy usage drop.
Heat events with high overnight temperatures can put additional
stress on equipment and cause heat-related outages.
"We are closely monitoring areas where abnormally high heat is
forecasted and demand on the grid will be elevated, such as the
Santa Clara Valley and other interior Bay valleys. This is in
addition to the entire Central Valley where temperatures are
projected to be the hottest," said Scott
Strenfel, Senior Director of Meteorology and Fire Science at
PG&E.
Potential Targeted Public Safety Power Shutoff
PG&E Meteorology is also monitoring the potential for breezy
to locally gusty winds from Monday night through Wednesday morning,
peaking on Tuesday. While a strong wind event is not currently
expected, wind gusts could reach up to 40 mph in the Northern and
Western Sacramento Valley and adjacent foothills. This, combined
with high temperatures and low humidity, has increased the wildfire
risk.
As a result, PG&E has informed approximately 12,000
customers that we may need to proactively turn off their power for
safety starting on Tuesday morning. The customers potentially
affected by the PSPS event are in targeted portions of the
following ten counties: Shasta,
Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, Lake,
Yolo, Napa, Sonoma,
Butte and Solano. A PSPS is a safety precaution of last
resort to reduce the risk of wildfires during the forecasted high
wind event.
Customers have been notified via text, email and automated phone
calls prior to potential shutoffs. If customers enrolled in
PG&E's Medical Baseline Program do not verify that they have
received these important safety communications, PG&E employees
will conduct individual, in-person visits, when possible, with a
primary focus on customers who rely on electricity for critical
life-sustaining equipment.
Customers can look up their address online to find out if their
location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at
pge.com/pspsupdates.
Support for PG&E customers
We understand that being without power is difficult for our
customers — especially in areas impacted by the heat wave. Numerous
Community Resource Centers (CRC) will be available within the
affected counties. To accommodate the heat, CRCs will be receiving
additional ice to provide for customers. Additionally, each center
offers ADA-accessible restrooms, device charging, Wi-Fi, blankets,
air conditioning and bottled water, snacks and other supplies.
Customers can find a CRC near them by visiting
www.pge.com/crc.
If called, this would be the first PSPS event of 2024.
In case of heat-related outages, PG&E offers the
following safety tips:
- Use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the
risk of fire.
- Customers with generators should make sure they are properly
installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area.
- 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.
- Customers can get updates on outages in their neighborhood
through a variety of channels.
- Contact PG&E's outage information line at
1-800-743-5002
- Access the Electric Outage Map online at online outage
center
- Customers can also log-in to their account through pge.com and
sign up to receive proactive outage alerts through email, text or
phone
PG&E reminds customers to update their contact information
at www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts.
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.
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company
