Power Outages Possible On The Peninsula As Storm Approaches

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The Peninsula may be affected by power outages as a storm barrels toward the Bay Area.

The Pacific Gas & Electric Co. announced Monday that it was placing crews in areas that are typically hit hardest by power outages, including the North Bay, Peninsula, South Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains. Extra equipment such as power poles, power lines and transformers is stockpiled.

PG&E began preparations in advance of an atmospheric river expected to affect the region through midweek. An atmospheric river is a long, narrow channel of water vapor akin to a river in the sky.

🤷🌧️ 🤷‍♂️ Many of you may be asking, "where's the rain?" Much of the rainfall will occur between sunset this evening and sunrise Tuesday morning. Here is one depiction of the timing of precipitation associated with this system. pic.twitter.com/m7JPbtLrlE
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) November 8, 2021

Hundreds of outages were reported across PG&E's territory during the atmospheric river that struck two weeks ago, PG&E said. Trees and branches toppled into power lines and damaged electrical equipment.

"This remains a concern for this storm as well 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 said in a statement.

National Weather Service officials described the forthcoming atmospheric river as "generally weak" and said they were most concerned about potential impacts in fire-burn scar areas, including areas affected by the CZU fires. The weather service anticipated .5 to .75 inches of rain would fall on the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Officials have issued a "marginal risk of excessive rainfall" due to the rain anticipated in the area of the CZU fire scar, though the storm two weeks ago brought twice as much rain over a longer time frame, according to the weather service.

PG&E urged customers to ensure working carbon monoxide detectors were installed as temperatures drop and more Northern California residents crank up the heat.

Here are some power outage preparation tips from PG&E.

• Be sure to have flashlights or battery-operated lanterns with fresh batteries in case of power outages.
• Avoid using candles due to the fire risk.
• Keep cell phones, tablets and other devices charged.
• If you have a landline, have available a corded telephone that doesn’t require electricity, or a battery-backup phone system so you can receive and make phone calls during a power outage.
• Put away or secure outdoor furniture and cushions to prevent wind and rain damage.
• If you see a downed power line, call 911 and stay away.
• To report a power outage and to get updates on your outage status, call 800-PGE-5002 or visit pge.com/outages