October 26, 2020 – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has begun patrolling some lines de-energized by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that started Sunday morning, Oct. 25, which affected approximately 355,000 customers in 34 counties. Due to improved weather conditions, Kern and San Joaquin Counties were removed from the scope of this PSPS.
This morning, PG&E meteorologists began issuing the weather all clear for portions of areas impacted by the PSPS. Restorations have begun where possible.
When it is safe to do so, crews will patrol over 17,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines to ensure that no damage or hazards exist before those lines can be re-energized and those customers restored. Efforts related to this PSPS event will include nearly 1,800 ground patrol units, 1 airplane and 65 helicopters.
PSPS Restoration
PG&E has begun restoring power to customers in some areas where it is safe to do so and expects to restore power to the remaining customers impacted by this PSPS event throughout the day on Monday and continue into Tuesday, with a majority of the customers restored by late Tuesday evening. In many areas, high winds and fire-critical weather will continue through Tuesday morning, so power restoration efforts cannot occur in those areas until the weather conditions improve and the fire danger subsides. Restoration may be delayed for some customers if crews are required to repair significant damage to individual lines, which could be caused by wind-blown branches and other debris.
The restoration process PG&E follows includes:
- Patrol – PG&E crews work to look for potential weather-related damage to the lines, poles and towers. This is done by foot, vehicle and air.
- Repair – Where equipment damage is found, PG&E crews work to isolate the damaged area from the rest of the system so other parts of the system can be restored.
- Restore – Once the poles, towers and lines are safe to energize, PG&E’s Control Center can complete the process and restore power to affected areas.
- Notify Customers – Customers are notified that power has been restored.
For more information on the PSPS event, visit pge.com/pspsupdates.
Extreme Winds Recorded Across Service Area
Winds in de-energized areas due to PSPS were observed as follows:
| County | Max recorded sustained winds (mph) | Max recorded wind gusts (mph) |
| Sonoma | 76 | 89 |
| Napa | 54 | 82 |
| Contra Costa | 55 | 74 |
| Lake | 57 | 71 |
| Placer | 42 | 71 |
| Alameda | 52 | 66 |