NEVADA CITY, Calif. October 25, 2019 – This special section is being updated in real-time with information on the damaging wind event/extreme fire danger this weekend and the possible power blackout.
October 31, 2019 at 4:51 PM
PG&E is reporting approximately 98% of Nevada County customers have power restored. 92 customers in North San Juan and 37 along Hwy 49 near Milhous are still out of power.
October 31, 2019 at 8:41 AM
PG&E crews are out repairing downed lines and replacing poles. 1,237 customers still out of power in Nevada County. PG&E’s restoration target is 9:00 pm tonight. Most homes should have power before that deadline.
October 30, 2019 at 11:06 PM
At first light, PG&E will continue working to restore power to customers in the following counties: Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Kern, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Sonoma and Yuba.
October 30, 2019 at 8:41 PM
Call from a distraught North San Juan resident. Apparently someone on the North San Juan circuit has a generator that is backfeeding into the grid. That is why the circuit has not been re-energized, according to the caller. If you are on the San Juan Ridge, check with your neighbors if you hear a generator running. A generator backfeeding into the power grid can injure workers or cause a fire.
October 30, 2019 at 6:40 PM
All Nevada County public schools have power and will be open tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 31st. All Charter schools will be open as well.
October 30, 2019 at 12:55 PM
Power is on off Indian Springs Road in Penn Valley.
October 30, 2019 at 12:49 PM
California Organics is reopening the store. The cafe will start serving meals at 3:00 pm.
October 30, 2019 at 12:46 PM
As this PSPS draws to a close, keep your local community in mind. Many of us have not yet been restored, all of us have been affected. Rest, spend time with friends and family and if you can, support the local businesses and their staff.
October 30, 2019 at 12:45 PM
Power is back on on Red Dog Road and Banner Quaker Hill just outside of Nevada City.
October 30, 2019 at 12:33 PM
Power on in Auburn on Luther Road.
October 30, 2019 at 12:30 PM Downtown Nevada City and the Rood Center have been restored.
October 30, 2019 at 11:35 AM
Alta Sierra,Norlene and Lawrence, just got power back. So has Lake Wildwood. Thanks to our readers who shared the good news.
October 30, 2019 at 8:02 Am PG&E has given an “all clear” for Nevada County and has begun inspecting the lines. Duration of restoration is dependent on level of damages sustained during the wind event. Downed power lines and trees are impacting the rate of restoration. PG&E is currently forecasting clear, dry conditions with no wind events in the upcoming week. No PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs are forecasted at this time.
October 30, 2019 at 8:01 AM
The McCourtney transfer station is open today, according to a WM spokesperson.
October 30, 2019 at 7:34 AM
The Nevada County Superior Court will be closed today due to the PSPS.
October 30, 2019 at 6:27 AM
About 6,300 personnel and 46 helicopters are standing by to support inspections, repairs from wind damage, and restoration once PG&E issues the weather “all-clear.” PG&E has also secured the assistance of approximately 1,100 electric workers to assist with inspections and repairs.
October 30, 2019 at 6:21 AM
Camptonville School will be open today, Wednesday October 30th with a 2 hr delay late start.
October 30, 2019 at 5:46 AM
As of Wednesday, October 30th at 6am, the Sierra College Nevada County Campus has power and is OPEN. All classes, activities, events, and office hours are to be held as scheduled. To find out if an individual instructor has canceled class, please follow the protocol identified by your instructor. Updated notifications will be made as information becomes available.
October 30, 2019 at 5:14 AM
Decreasing fire weather concerns, chilly mornings ahead. A couple chilly mornings ahead across the region with lows around 6 to 12 degrees below normal. Near freezing temperatures are likely in the Valley with some teens into the mountains.
October 30, 2019 at 4:57 AM
- At 5 p.m. yesterday, PG&E issued the weather “all-clear” for Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama and Trinity counties impacted by the Oct. 29, meaning winds had subsided to safe levels to allow inspections and restorations to begin. Those inspections will continue at first light.
- PG&E’s meteorology team estimates that the current dry, offshore wind event should subside in nearly all areas by Wednesday morning. The exception is Kern County, where winds are expected to subside by Thursday morning.
October 29, 2019 at 7:30 PM
Bitney Prep High School will be open tomorrow, Wednesday, October 30, 2019. There will be no student internships tomorrow.
October 29, 2019 at 7:21 PM
A message from the Nevada City School District: “Thank you for your patience during these outages and the new territory we are trying to maneuver. In an effort to get students back to learning we are postponing parent conferences until the end of the trimester. Parent conferences will be held at that time outside of the school day. With no planned outages – Thursday and Friday will be full student days. Teachers will work closely with families to make this as seamless as possible. More information will be coming out soon. As far as tomorrow Wednesday, October 30th goes, there will be no school since power is not set to be restored until later in the day. We look forward to seeing you Thursday October 31st.”
October 29, 2019 at 7:06 PM
Nevada County update: PG&E is still forecasting the weather “all clear” tomorrow morning, 10/30 at 4AM. Assuming this time does not change, PG&E will begin inspecting the lines and restoring power at daylight.
October 29, 2019 at 7:00 PM
The following schools will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, October 30 due to continued PSPS:
Chicago Park
Clear Creek
Forest Lake Christian School
Grass Valley School Dist
Nevada City School Dist
Nevada Joint Union
High School Dist
Penn Valley Union
Pleasant Ridge School
Dist
TKM
Union Hill
Sierra College Nevada County campus is open (Child Development Center open)
Charter Schools closed:
Sierra Academy
October 29, 2019 at 3:15 PM
PG&E update: Due to a widespread dry, offshore wind event on Tuesday, Oct. 29, through midday Wednesday, Oct. 30, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) confirmed today that it is in the process of implementing a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) to approximately 597,000 customers in Northern and Southern Sierra, North Bay, Bay Area, Santa Cruz mountains, North Coast and Kern County. As of 1 p.m., approximately 500,000 customers are without electric service as a result of PSPS. Approximately 400,000 customers who were originally impacted by the Oct. 26 PSPS event remain without service as part of the subsequent Oct. 29 event.
October 29, 2019 at 3:08 PM
Please note that the Community Resource Centers in our area are mostly out of their additional resources (flashlights, batteries, portable cell phone chargers, portable solar LED lights). Bottled water, snacks, hot drinks, on-site charging stations, restrooms, and heated and/or air conditioned seating are still available. Non-potable water is also available at the Nevada City Elks Lodge CRC.
October 29, 2019 at 12:03 PM
October 29, 2019 at 11:13AM
Most areas of western Nevada County have been de-energized. The micro grid running through Grass Valley to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital has been reenergized.
October 29, 2019 at 11:11 AM
Side incident can be handled with resources on site.
October 29, 2019 at 10:59 AM
Side IC reports approximately 1/8th of an acre in duff and litter. Low growth potential. Holding all aircraft.
October 29, 2019 at 10:55 AM
Report of a vegetation fire in Side Bet Drive, near You Bet Road, Peardale/Chicago Park area. Full wildland dispatch en route.
October 29, 2019 at 10:05 AM
Nevada City just lost power.
October 29, 2019 at 10:01 AM
Nevada County update: All Social Services Departments will be operational during the PSPS today, 10/29/19.
Veterans will be seen at the Brighton Greens Veteran’s Office. Services will be limited, but Veterans will be able to receive services.
Eligibility staff is working and taking applications for CalWorks, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, Welfare to Work and General Assistance and issuing EBT cards for benefits. Customers coming to the Brighton Greens Resource Center for Eligibility and Welfare and Medi-Cal and CalFresh may be redirected to the Rood Center in Nevada City where services are more robust, but most customers’ needs will be addressed at either facility.
All services in Truckee are available for customers.
October 29, 2019 at 9:12 AM
PG&E Community Resource Centers
*Due to lack of generator availability from their vendors, some of the CRCs will not be able to provide more load-intensive support such as air conditioning and charging of larger medical devices.
| Location | Opening date | Closing date | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Alameda County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Alameda County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Alameda County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Alpine County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Amador County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Amador County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Butte County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Butte County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Butte County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Calaveras County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Calaveras County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Calaveras County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Calaveras County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Contra Costa County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Contra Costa County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Contra Costa County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Contra Costa County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
El Dorado County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
El Dorado County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
El Dorado County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
*Humboldt County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
*Humboldt County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
*Humboldt County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
*Humboldt County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
*Humboldt County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
*Humboldt County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Humboldt County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Lake County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Lake County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Lake County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Lake County |
10/27/19 |
CLOSED: 10/27/19 |
CLOSED |
|
Madera County |
10/29/19 |
To be announced |
10 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Marin County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Marin County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Marin County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Mendocino County |
10/28/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Mendocino County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Mendocino County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
*Monterey County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Napa County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Napa County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Napa County |
10/26/19 |
CLOSED: 10/27/19 |
CLOSED |
|
Nevada County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Nevada County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Nevada County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Placer County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Placer County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Placer County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
San Benito County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
San Mateo County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
San Mateo County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
San Mateo County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Santa Clara County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Santa Clara County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Santa Cruz County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Santa Cruz County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
*Santa Cruz County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Shasta County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Shasta County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Solano County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Solano County |
10/27/2019 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Solano County |
To be announced |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Sonoma County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Sonoma County |
10/26/19 |
10/28/19, 6 p.m. |
8 a.m. – 6 p.m. |
|
Sonoma County |
10/28/19 |
To be announced |
4 p.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Stanislaus County |
To be announced |
May reopen at a later date and time – TBD |
To be announced |
|
Tehama County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Tehama County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
*Trinity County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Tuolumne County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Tuolumne County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Tuolumne County |
10/27/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
|
Yuba County |
10/26/19 |
To be announced |
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
October 29, 2019 at 8:36 AM
A reminder, a Red Flag Warning is in effect until late afternoon on Wednesday. There are no prescribed burns going on, if you see flames or dense smoke in your vicinity please alert first responders. Any fire starts have enhanced growth potential due to low relative humdities and winds. Be safe out there.
October 29, 2019 at 7:39 AM
If your AT&T landline is down in Nevada County, please fill out this form: https://211connectingpoint.org/ncpsps-phone/
October 29, 2019 at 7:22 AM
The following PG&E Community Resource Centers (CRC) will be open today, 10/29, at 8AM:
• Sierra College: 250 Sierra College Dr, Grass Valley, CA
• Nevada City Elks Lodge: 518 CA-49, Nevada City, CA
• Former Penn Valley Community Church: 11739 Spenceville Road, Penn Valley, CA
• Gold Country Fairgrounds: 209 Fairgate Rd, Auburn, CA
October 29, 2019 at 7:05 AM Resources for Residents, from a release by the Governor’s office:
- Workers who have lost work due to extreme weather events can apply for benefits immediately, the Governor waived the one-week waiting period suspension for unemployment insurance benefits. Find more information at the Employment Development Department website;
- Protections from price gouging on housing, gas, food, and other essential supplies, are in place for thirty days following the Governor’s State of Emergency proclamation.
- Families enrolled in the CalFresh program who have suffered food loss as a result of PSPS events are eligible for food replacement.
- California Emergency Medical Services Authority has positioned emergency ambulance strike teams to support individuals with power dependent health equipment.
- Wellness checks are available for vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, which is coordinated through a partnership with the Health and Human Services Agency, SEIU and UDW;
October 29, 2019 at 6:10 AM
School closures:
Chicago Park
Clear Creek
Grass Valley School Dist
Nevada City School Dist
Nevada Joint Union High School Dist
Penn Valley Union
Pleasant Ridge School Dist
TKM
Union Hill
Charters closed include:
Bitney Prep
Forest Charter
Forest Lake Christian Charter
Nevada City School of the Arts
Twin Ridges Home Study
Sierra Academy
Yuba River Charter
Sierra College Nevada County campus is open (Child Development Center open)
Camptonville School will be in session today with a late start (2 hour delay).
October 29, 2019 at 5:56 AM
The latest PSPS map issued by PG&E.
October 29, 2019 at 5:54 AM
Red Flag Warning today through Wednesday afternoon, breezy north winds again. A Red Flag Warning is in effect for much of the region from 8 AM Tuesday through 4 PM Wednesday. Strong north to northeast winds and very low humidities are likely during this time frame.
October 29, 2019 at 5:40 AM
Camptonville School will be in session today with a late start (2 hour delay).
October 29, 2019 at 5:30 AM
PG&E update: PSPS Event on October 29 Due to Wind Forecasts
PG&E is closely following another potentially widespread dry, offshore wind event on Tuesday, Oct. 29, through midday Wednesday, Oct. 30. The shutoff is expected to impact approximately 596,000 customers in for Northern and Southern Sierra, North Bay, Bay Area, Santa Cruz mountains, North Coast and Kern County. Given fluctuations in the forecasts, PG&E continues to analyze whether this wind event will prompt more safety shutoffs, and the extent of those shutoffs.
Timeline for safety shutoffs
The times below are estimates and may change (earlier or later) dependent on the dynamic weather environment. Times below as of 8:00 p.m. on October 28, 2019:
| Phase | Time/Date | Counties |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 A.M. Tuesday, Oct 29 | Butte, Plumas, Tehama, Trinity, and Shasta |
| 2 | 9 A.M. Tuesday, Oct 29 | El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, and Yuba |
| 3 | 4 P.M. Tuesday, Oct 29 | Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne |
| 4 | 7 A.M. Tuesday, Oct 29 | Humboldt (Southern), Mendocino, and Sonoma |
| 5 | 7 A.M. Tuesday, Oct 29 | Lake, Napa, Solano and Yolo |
| 6 | 9 P.M. Tuesday, Oct 29 | Humboldt (Northern) and Siskiyou |
| 7 | 11 P.M. Tuesday, Oct 29 | Marin, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo |
| 8 | 11 P.M. Tuesday, Oct 29 | Alameda, Contra Costa |
| 9 | 9 P.M. Tuesday, Oct 29 | Kern |
Counties and Customers Potentially Impacted
| County | Customers | Medical Baseline | Cities or unincorporated areas with some customers potentially impacted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda | 10,306 | 352 | Castro Valley, Oakland |
| Alpine | 66 | – | Bear Valley |
| Amador | 12,132 | 623 | Fiddletown, Jackson, Pioneer, Pine Grove, Sutter Creek |
| Butte | 15,790 | 1,131 | Bangor, Berry Creek, Butte Meadows, Clipper Mills, Forbestown, Forest Ranch, Magalia, Oroville, Stirling City, |
| Calaveras | 16,971 | 570 | Arnold, Bear Valley, Camp Connell, Glencoe, Hathaway Pines, Mokelumne Hill, Murphys, Rail Road Flat, San Andreas, Sheep Ranch, West Point, White Pines, Wilseyville |
| Contra Costa | 204 | 4 | Portions of Contra Costa |
| El Dorado | 31,782 | 1,477 | Camino, Coloma, Cool, Diamond Springs, Garden Valley, Georgetown, Greenwood, Grizzly Flats, Kelsey, Kyburz, Lotus, Mount Aukum, Pacific House, Pilot Hill, Placerville, Pollock Pines, Somerset, Twin Bridges |
| Humboldt | 66,447 | 2,068 | Alton, Arcata, Bayside, Blocksburg, Blue Lake, Carlotta, Eureka, Ferndale, Fields Landing, Fortuna, Garberville, Honeydew, Hoopa, Hydesville, Kneeland, Korbel, Loleta, McKinleyville, Miranda, Myers Flat, Orick, Orleans, Petrolia, Phillipsville, Redcrest, Redway, Rio Del, Samoa, Scotia, Trinidad, Weott, Whitethorn, Willow Creek, |
| Kern | 839 | 27 | Lebec |
| Lake | 37,441 | 2,170 | Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Cobb, Finley, Glenhaven, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Lakeport, Loch Lomond, Lower Lake, Lucerne, Middletown, Nice, Upper Lake, Witter Springs |
| Marin | 119,533 | 2,115 | Belvedere, Bolinas, Corte Madera, Dillon Beach, Fairfax, Fallon, Forest Knolls, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Lagunitas, Larkspur, Marshall, Mill Valley, Muir Beach, Nicasio, Novato, Ross, San Anselmo, San Geronimo, San Rafael, Sausalito, Stinson Beach, Tiburon, Tamales, Wood Acre |
| Mendocino | 38,137 | 1,331 | Albion, Boonville, Branscomb, Caspar, Comptche, Covelo, Cummings, Dos Rios, Elk, Fort Bragg, Gualala, Hopland, Laytonville, Leggett, Little River, Manchester, Mendocino, Navarro, Philo, Piercy, Point Arena, Potter Valley, Redwood Valley, Ukiah, Westport, Willits, Yorkville |
| Napa | 14,900 | 420 | American Canyon, Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Napa, Pope Valley, Rutherford, |
| Nevada | 43,211 | 1,822 | Auburn, Emigrant Gap, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Norden, North San Juan, Penn Valley, Rough and Ready, Soda Springs, Washington, |
| Placer | 22,996 | 897 | Alta, Applegate, Auburn, Baxter, Colfax, Dutch Flat, Emigrant Gap, Foresthill, Gold Run, Lincoln, Meadow Vista, Newcastle, Penryn, Weimar |
| Plumas | 785 | 6 | Bellden, La Porte, Quincy, Storrie |
| San Mateo | 13,209 | 242 | El Granada, Half Moon Bay, La Honda, Loma Mar, Montera, Moss Beach, Pescadero, San Gregorio |
| Santa Clara | 496 | 12 | Portions of Santa Clara County |
| Santa Cruz | 5,408 | 280 | Boulder Creek, Davenport |
| Shasta | 26,700 | 1582 | Anderson, Bella Vista, Cottonwood, French Gulch, Igo, Lake Head, Millville, Montgomery Creek, Oak Run, Pala Cedro, Platina, Redding, Round Mountain, Shasta, Singletown, Whiskeytown, Whitmore |
| Sierra | 1,159 | 14 | Alleghany, Comptonville, Downieville, Goodyears Bar, Sierra City |
| Siskiyou | 51 | – | Somes Bar |
| Solano | 19,785 | 901 | Vallejo |
| Sonoma | 86,686 | 2721 | Annapolis, Bodega, Bodega Bay, Camp Meeker, Cazadero, Cloverdale, Cotati, Duncan Mills, Forestville, Geyserville, Glen Ellen, Graton, Guerneville, Healdsburg, Jenner, Kenwood, Monte Rio, Occidental, Penn Grove, Rio Nido, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Sea Ranch, Valley Ford, Villa Grande, Windsor |
| Tehama | 1,695 | 60 | Cottonwood, Los Molinos, Manton, Mineral, Paynes Creek |
| Trinity | 1,046 | 39 | Burnt Ranch, Salyer, Zenia |
| Tuolumne | 2,591 | 26 | Pine Crest, Strawberry |
| Yolo | 290 | 12 | Guinda, Rumsey, Winters |
| Yuba | 5,314 | 306 | Browns Valley, Brownsville, Camptonville, Challenge, Dobbins Marysville, Oregon House, Rackerby, Smartsville, Strawberry Valley |
The sole intent of a PSPS is to prevent a catastrophic wildfire sparked by electrical equipment during extreme weather events.
Winds generally above 45 mph are known to cause damage to the lower-voltage distribution system and winds above 50 mph are known to cause damage to higher-voltage transmission equipment.
Following the Oct. 9 PSPS we had more than 100 instances of damage and hazards on our distribution and transmission lines from wind gusts of this strength.
It is possible that customers impacted by the Oct. 26 PSPS could be part of the Oct. 29 shutoff. It’s also possible that power restoration for some customers impacted by the Oct. 26 shutoff will not be complete before the next safety shutoff must begin. Time of restoration depends on inspections and any repairs of wind damage to the electric system.
To date, PG&E has confirmed seven instances of weather-related damage to its system in the PSPS-impacted areas, as a result of the October 23 PSPS and more than 50 as a result of the October 26 PSPS (with additional instances of potential weather-related damages still being assessed). Examples of damages include downed lines and vegetation on power lines.
October 28, 2019 at 8:45 PM
Numerous Nevada County residents are receiving notices from PG&E stating “To protect public safety, PG&E may turn off your power overnight. Power will remain off until weather conditions improve and it is safe to restore service.” The message implies a much earlier shutoff than the 9:00 am time indicated during their media briefing and in their latest news release.
October 28, 2019 at 6:38 PM
All Western Nevada County offices will be open to the public tomorrow, 10/29 until the power is shut off. After the power is shut off, limited services will be available throughout the day at Western Nevada County offices.
October 28, 2019 at 6:37 PM
PG&E is now estimating to start de-energization around 9 AM tomorrow, 10/29. The estimated weather all clear is Wednesday 10/30 at 4 AM. If your energy has been restored today 10/28, please take the time to recharge your devices and restock.
October 28, 2019 at 4:58 PM
The Nevada County Superior Court Nevada City Courthouse, located at 201 Church Street, Nevada City, CA 95959, will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday October 29th. Matters scheduled at the Nevada City Courthouse will be pushed to the next open day or a later date (depending on the matter). For jurors will need to report in on Wednesday.
However, the Truckee Branch Courthouse, located at 10075 Levon Avenue, Truckee, CA 96161, will remain open but will be operating with limited access to electronic systems. For contact information please visit the Nevada County Superior Court at http://nccourt.net/.
October 28, 2019 at 4:44 PM
PG&E update: As a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk during the next severe and widespread wind event in the forecast for Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Wednesday, Oct. 30, PG&E confirmed Monday that it will implement a PSPS in portions of 29 counties, affecting electric service for up to 605,000 customers.
Portions of the following counties are currently expected to be impacted: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.
The severe wind event is expected to start Tuesday morning in the North Valley, North Bay and Sierra Foothills; Tuesday afternoon in the southern Sierra Foothills; Tuesday evening in Kern County; and very early Wednesday in the Bay Area. The weather should clear in all areas by mid-day Wednesday.
October 28, 2019 at 3:42 PM NWS Sacramento update: Lighter winds expected through the rest of today, though humidities will remain extremely low. The next round of dry and windy north winds likely to start early Tuesday morning continuing through at least Wednesday afternoon. This combined with extremely low humidity will create critical fire weather conditions, resulting in a Red Flag Warning. While weaker than the recent weekend event, wind gusts will likely range from 35 to 50 mph across the region, locally higher in wind prone areas. A Wind Advisory has been issued. Locally breezy conditions are possible across Sierra foothill locations into Wednesday night. From Thursday into the weekend, winds will become lighter as high pressure builds although humidities remain low.
October 28, 2019 at 2:36 PM
California Organics in Nevada City is reopening their store.
October 28, 2019 at 1:57 PM
Power is back on in downtown Nevada City.
October 28, 2019 at 12:48 PM
Sierra Cinemas, Sutton Cinemas, and Del Oro Theatre are open today with regular showtimes. Call 477-9000 for more information.
October 28, 2019 at 12:45 PM
Firefighters are at the Orchards Springs Campground on Rollins Lake after a report of a possible small plane down. They are attempting to locate, so far nothing showing. Aircraft en route to search the lake.
October 28, 2019 at 12:30 PM
The Nevada City Courthouse at 201 Church Street in Nevada City is closed to the public today due to the power outages.
October 28, 2019 at 11:15 AM
National Weather Service, Sacramento update: Locally breezy conditions to continue through the morning, especially across the mountains. While humidities remain low, winds will lighten considerably throughout the remainder of the day. The next round of dry and windy north winds likely to start early Tuesday morning continuing through at least Wednesday afternoon. While weaker than the recent weekend event (see MaxWindGusts.png), wind gusts will likely range from 35 to 50 mph across the region, locally higher in wind prone areas. Locally breezy conditions are possible across Sierra foothill locations into Wednesday night. From Thursday into the weekend, winds will become lighter as high pressure builds although humidities remain low.
October 28, 2019 at 10:55 AM
Widespread AT&T landline outage in the Nevada City area.
October 28, 2019 at 9:55 AM
The US 50 intersection at the Y in South Lake Tahoe is closed to westbound traffic after a semi-truck turned over in the middle of the road. Please avoid the area as workers try to clear the road.
October 28, 2019 at 8:28 AM
Nevada County OES update: PG&E has given the “all-clear” and begun restoration of power lines in Nevada County as of 7:00 AM this morning, 10/28. Duration of restoration will be dependent on level of damages sustained during the wind event. Downed power lines and trees may likely impact rate of restoration.
We want to continue to remind people that once your power is restored, take the opportunity to prepare for the next possible event. Fire weather conditions are predicted Tuesday through Wednesday with the possibility for another Public Safety Power Shutoff. Refuel cars and generators, stock up on supplies and withdraw cash while the ATM’s have power. Make sure your Go Bag is ready and your car is parked towards the road, and take a moment to check in with friends, family and neighbors to see if they have any needs you may be able to help with.
The following PG&E Community Resource Centers (CRC) will be open today, 10/28, at 8AM:
• Sierra College: 250 Sierra College Dr, Grass Valley, CA
• Nevada City Elks Lodge: 518 CA-49, Nevada City, CA
• Former Penn Valley Community Church: 11739 Spenceville Road, Penn Valley, CA
• Gold Country Fairgrounds: 209 Fairgate Rd, Auburn, CA
October 28, 2019 at 7:25 AM
PG&E has released a new map for tomorrow’s probable PSPS. This map is likely to change and the scope to be reduced!
October 28, 2019 at 6:31 AM
Wind event winds down early, more concerns for Tuesday and Wednesday. Another round of gusty northerly wind is expected Tuesday into Wednesday. This event will likely not be as strong as this past weekend’s wind event.
October 28, 2019 at 6:21 AM
Camptonville School will be closed today, Monday, October 28th due to the PSPS.
October 28, 2019 at 5:59 AM
A small spot, 6/10th of an acre, in the Deer Creek ravine below Twin Cities Church in Grass Valley is fully contained. Firefighters are finishing mop-up operations.
October 28, 2019 at 5:57 AM Sierra College, Grass Valley campus, is open for all regularly scheduled classes, events and activities today.
October 27, 2019 at 10:10 PM
The National Weather Service has canceled the High Wind Warning for tonight.
October 27, 2019 at 7:25 PM
All Nevada County Behavioral Health & Public Health services normally offered at Crown Point will be available at Crown Point with or without power tomorrow, 10/28. Children’s Behavioral Health Services will also be available at the Crown Point campus (500 Crown Point Circle in Grass Valley).
October 27, 2019 at 6:43 PM
School closures for Monday, October 28 due to PSPS include:
Chicago Park
Clear Creek
Grass Valley School Dist
Nevada City School Dist
Nevada Joint Union
High School Dist
Penn Valley Union
Pleasant Ridge School District
Union Hill
Twin Ridges District
Charters closed include:
Bitney Prep
Forest Charter
Forest Lake Christian School
Nevada City School of the Arts
Sierra Academy
Yuba River Charter School
Sierra College will make the decision at 6:00 am tomorrow.
October 27, 2019 at 6:22 PM
This afternoon, PG&E began its 48-hour advance notifications to customers that it may be proactively turning power off for safety and conducting a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) as early as Tuesday morning, Oct. 29. Customers living in portions of the following counties are being notified: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.
October 27, 2019 at 5:32 PM
Briar Patch has power again and is open.
October 27, 2019 at 4:32 PM
Tree leaning into the power lines on Alison Ranch Road.
October 27, 2019 at 4:30 PM
Briar Patch just lost power. Grass Valley still has power.
October 27, 2019 at 3:50 PM
KVMR (FM 89.5) radio broadcasting is back up, and broadcasting online at https://www.kvmr.org/player. KNCO (AM 830) is also online with hourly updates.
October 27, 2019 at 3:48 PM
Nevada County Update: Community Resource Center at Sierra College is back open as of 3:03PM
October 27, 2019 at 3:45 PM Tree into the power lines on North Bloomfield and Rock Creek Road. Units en route.
October 27, 2019 at 3:12 PM
Cruzon Air Attack reports less than 1/4 acre, slow rate of spread. Additional Tahoe engines are en route to this. Air Attack will now check the Dorsey Fire. The Cruzon fire has a line around it.
October 27, 2019 at 2:27 PM
The Dorsey fire is estimated at 8-10 acres, holding at Dorsey. Good progress being made.
October 27, 2019 at 2:26 PM
Smoke check on Cruzon Grade and Backbone on the San Juan Ridge.
October 27, 2019 at 1:48 PM Updates on the Dorsey Fire will be posted here: https://yubanet.com/Fires/dorsey/
October 27, 2019 at 1:40 PM
Grass Valley Police is blocking the area for any trough traffic. One spot fire on the other side of Dorsey Drive is being picked up by the firefighters.
October 27, 2019 at 1:37 PM
Firefighters are reporting spotting onto the Atria property. Suppressing the spots as fast as possible.
October 27, 2019 at 1:34 PM
Aircraft are grounded due to the winds. Firefighters on scene are making progress establishing a containment line. Please avoid the area.
October 27, 2019 at 1:31 PM
Multiple reports of the fire, plume is widely visible in Grass Valley, Penn Valley. The fire is pushed by winds to the intersection of Sutton and Dorsey, units are at scene.
October 27, 2019 at 1:26 PM Vegetation fire near the intersection of Dorsey Drive and Sutton Way, numerous resources assigned.
October 27, 2019 at 12:36 PM
Sacramento Fire: All North and Southbound lanes on I-5 are being closed due to a large grass fire near Arena Blvd. Closures start at I-80 if traveling Northbound. Closures start at Highway 99 if traveling Southbound. @SacPolice assisting with traffic diversions on surface streets.
October 27, 2019 at 12:29 PM
Report of a down power line on Maidu Ridge Road on the San Juan Ridge
October 27, 2019 at 12:17 PM
Sky Fire off Commings Skyway and I-80, south of Crockett in Contra Costa County is 200 acres and 50% contained. Glencove Fire is 100 acres and 0% contained. More: https://yubanet.com/Fires/glencove/
October 27, 2019 at 11:45 AM Tree in the northbound lanes of Hwy 49 near Crestview Drive.
October 27, 2019 at 11:41 AM
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency due to the effects of unprecedented high-wind events which have resulted in fires and evacuations across the state. More here.
October 27, 2019 at 11:15 AM
Sierra Cinemas update: Sierra Cinemas, Sutton Cinemas, and Del Oro Theatre are open with regular showtimes today.
However, our internet service is down as of 11:00 AM at Sierra Cinemas and Sutton Cinemas so those locations will be cash only until the internet service is restored.
Fantastic Fungi, scheduled at the Nevada Theatre tonight, has been re-scheduled to show at Sierra Cinemas instead, where we have power, tonight at 7:15 PM. All advance tickets will be honored at the Sierra Cinemas show.
October 27, 2019 at 10:54 AM Damaging Winds and Extreme Fire Weather Danger through early Monday, Critical Fire Weather Concerns Tue & Wed. A High Wind Warning is in effect through Sunday evening. Local gusts up to 65 mph are possible. Critical fire weather conditions will be seen today. Another system moves down from the Arctic early this week and may bring additional fire weather concerns Tuesday and Wednesday.
October 27, 2019 at 10:31 AM
Nevada County will be opening a charging center at the North San Juan Community Center, today 10/27 from 11AM to 8PM. There will be 48 plugs for charging available and canned water donated by the North San Juan Fire Protection District. There will not be heat but there will be blankets available. The North San Juan Community Center is located at 29190 CA-49, North San Juan, CA.
October 27, 2019 at 10:10 AM Low-hanging lines on Magnolia Rd / Dog Bar Rd. Use caution in the area.
October 27, 2019 at 8:25 AM Report of a large tree in the roadway in Rough&Ready Hwy near Bitney Springs Road. Use an alternate road if possible.
October 27, 2019 at 8:25 AM
If you were curious about the peak wind gusts overnight, here is a look at some of the top gusts over the past 12 hours. For a more complete list, please see https://t.co/FLVGHhZXar #CAwx #cafire pic.twitter.com/f5kpQhtzy3
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) October 27, 2019
October 27, 2019 at 7:54 AM Areas of Brunswick Basin and Downtown Grass Valley have power! PG&E considers these areas Tier 1, low fire-risk (having underground lines) and high priority (containing hospitals and skilled nursing facilities). You can find out what is re-energized and located within this area on our map at MyNevadaCounty.com/PSPSMap. Areas in purple represent PG&E PSPS outage and area in yellow represents the area of Brunswick and Grass Valley that was re-energized.
October 27, 2019 at 7:52 AM KVMR is still off the air, but they are streaming via their app and on kvmr.org
October 27, 2019 at 4:07 AM Jayhawk Fire is holding at 2 acres, firefighters are overhauling the structure and continuing to reinforce the containment lines.
October 27, 2019 at 3:48 AM Jayhawk IC reports the vegetation fire is estimated at 1.5 to 2 acres. Good progress being made with the additional resources. Firefighters are extinguishing small spot fires, caused by embercast
October 27, 2019 at 3:23 AM Jay IC reports they have a knockdown on the structure, still trying to contain the vegetation fire. Lot of embercast is hampering containment efforts. There is no immediate threat to other structures in the area.
October 27, 2019 at 3:14 AM Jay IC is requesting two additional water tenders and several engines.
October 27, 2019 at 3:10 AM Tree into the roadway, both lanes blocked, in Lake Vera/Purdon Road near Rock Creek Road. Units en route.
October 27, 2019 at 3:03 AM First unit at scene reports a fully involved structure, with approximately 1/4 to 1/2 acre of vegetation burning at a slow to moderate rate of spread. Fire is backing into the wind, all resources to continue in. This will be the Jay incident
October 27, 2019 at 2:52 AM CAL FIRE is reporting a new fire in Jay Hawk Way in the Big Oak Valley area. Structure fire into the vegetation, numerous resources en route.
October 27, 2019 at 2:40 AM KVMR‘s generator at the Banner Mountain transmitter is down. They will fix the broken part come daylight. Please stay off the roads if you can and maintain situational awareness.
October 27, 2019 at 1:40 AM
Winds now (1:30 am) gusting to 70 mph on Mt. St. Helena. #CAwx #CAFire pic.twitter.com/WcoxoFAC8e
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 27, 2019
October 27, 2019 at 1:34 AM KVMR is currently off the air, they are hoping to be back soon.
October 26, 2019 at 8:18 PM Power shutoff is complete for phase 1 of the PG&E blackout. Pause 1 included Amador, Butte, El Dorado, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Joaquin, Sierra, Shasta, Tehama and Yuba counties. The shutoff is expected to impact approximately 940,000 customers in 38 counties once all 7 phases are complete.
October 26, 2019 at 8:05 PM Briar Patch has closed for now but is expecting to reopen tomorrow.
October 26, 2019 at 6:55 PM During their briefing, PG&E representatives stated their goal was to start restoring power after the wind event, possibly starting early Monday morning. If lines are damaged during the wind event, restoration times can be 48 hours or more. At this time, only portions of Nevada County have been de-energized.
October 26, 2019 at 5:07 PM Shutoff notifications are being dent to Phase 1 customers, including western Nevada County. “To protect public safety, PG&E has turned off or will soon turn off your power.”
October 26, 2019 at 3:15 PM
National Weather Service Sacramento, afternoon update:
A High Wind Warning will be in effect for most locations outside of a few sections of the upper San Joaquin Valley which are in a Wind Advisory, both through 11 PM Sunday. Overall, expect peak Valley wind gusts in the 40 to 55 mph range, locally higher toward the Delta. Even higher gusts up to 65 mph are possible into the higher terrain, particularly near canyons and mountain ridges. Power outages, downed tree branches, difficult driving conditions are all possible during this event.
The mentioned strong winds are working in conjunction with extremely low relative humidities. Subsidence within the downsloping flow will significantly lower such values likely ranging from the mid single digits to the low teens while overnight recoveries remain poor. With dry north to northeasterly flow blowing on top of fuels with very low moisture content, extreme fire weather conditions exist through late Monday morning.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for much of interior Northern California through 11 AM Monday. A reminder that any fire starts may lead to rapid fire growth with such conditions in place. Thus, exercise caution and have a plan if a wildfire were to force you to evacuate. By Monday morning, dry and breezy conditions will continue but begin to decay by the early afternoon hours. Relatively tranquil weather is likely through the day with continued cooler conditions in the wake of the frontal passage. Low 70s will be the norm across the Valley which is a continuation of readings to conclude the weekend.
However, the focus will again shift to another fire weather threat looming for Tuesday into portions of Wednesday. An upper low currently over the Northwest Territories (extreme northwestern Canada) will dive southward reaching the northern Rockies by late Monday. A shortwave peeling off from this system is expected to sweep through western Utah by Tuesday evening bringing additional dry, gusty winds to Northern California. Model agreement has significantly improved with other guidance joining the consistent ECMWF forecast. At this juncture, a moderate-end event is expected but it will continued to be monitored.
October 26, 2019 at 1:48 PM
Slight delay to the start of the power shutoff, now probably starting closer to 3:00 pm.
October 26, 2019 at 1:24 PM
The strong north to northeast wind event will have the potential for resulting in extreme fire weather conditions today into Monday. Downed trees, power outages, and difficult driving conditions are possible.
October 26, 2019 at 12:39 PM
When the power goes out, the water will continue to flow. The Nevada Irrigation District (NID) is prepared and able to treat and deliver water to its customers during widespread power outages.
NID has backup power and redundancies throughout its water treatment and delivery systems, so water service will not be disrupted during any PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).
Electricity is necessary in order to treat raw water to drinking water quality standards. When PG&E activates a PSPS and power is cut to NID’s treatment plants, the district immediately engages its backup remote power systems to operate system-wide pumps and treatment processes.
During the earlier PSPS’s, operational facilities and system functions continued uninterrupted under a coordinated incident command system, a standardized approach taken during an incident or emergency. As part of this structure, NID has been working closely with the Emergency Operation Centers at Nevada County and Placer County.
October 26, 2019 at 11:53 AM
Be familiar with the sound of the HiLo evacuation sirens. If you hear them, they only mean one thing: evacuate.
October 26, 2019 at 11:45 AM
Nevada County OES updates:
Sign Up for CodeRED:
Code Red is a high-speed mass notification system designed to notify residents in the event of an emergency. We recommend you register to receive all possible alert notifications including: SMS/text, email, landline, cell phone, and TTY.
Code Red alerts will display as originating from 866-419-5000 or 855-969-4636 on your caller ID. Please add these numbers to your contacts. If you missed any of the message details, you can also dial the number back to hear the complete message. Encourage everyone in your household to register and make sure these numbers are excluded from your do not disturb settings by adding them to your favorites group (iOS) or with exceptions (Android.) You don’t want to miss these calls. If you need help signing up with Code Red please dial 211 for assistance.
October 26, 2019 at 11:43 AM
NWS update: Damaging northerly winds combined with extremely low humidities will create extreme fire weather conditions this weekend. A Red Flag Warning is now in effect for much of interior northern California. We are expecting the strongest wind event so far this Fall, and a High Wind Warning has been issued. The strongest winds will occur later tonight into Sunday. Delta areas will be particularly susceptible to damaging easterly winds in this situation. Winds decrease gradually throughout the day Monday. Another round of dry and breezy northerly winds is possible next Tuesday into Wednesday with confidence increasing as models are coming into better agreement
October 26, 2019 at 11:32 AM AT&T phone lines and connectivity are being restored. Thanks to the “Three Musketeers” who fixed the landlines and DSL along Lake Vera/Purdon Road.
October 26, 2019 at 9:03 AM
Areas of Brunswick Basin that were re-energized Wednesday evening shortly after this week’s PG&E PSPS are considered low fire-risk areas and contain underground lines. PG&E was able to tie generators into their Brunswick Basin substation giving parts of the Brunswick Basin power and may be able to re-energize this area again shortly after de-energization for the possible Saturday through Monday PG&E PSPS. These areas of the Grass Valley Brunswick Basin may be able to be re-energized quickly due to low fire-risk and PG&E tying in generators into their Brunswick Basin substation.
October 26, 2019 at 8:37 AM
PG&E plans to open the following Community Resource Centers (CRC) from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. today and 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. throughout PSPS outages:
- Sierra College: 250 Sierra College Dr, Grass Valley, CA
- Elks Lodge: 518 CA-49, Nevada City, CA
- Former Penn Valley Community Church: 11739 Spenceville Road, Penn Valley, CA
- Gold Country Fairgrounds: 209 Fairgate Rd, Auburn, CA
The CRCs will provide restrooms, bottled water, electronic device charging and air-conditioned seating as usual, and will also be adding snacks, coffee, tea, hot water, flashlights and batteries, portable cell phone chargers, portable solar LED lights, coloring books and crayons.
October 26, 2019 at 8:32 AM
Nevada County update: PG&E has confirmed that they plan to turn off power to Nevada County residents at 2pm today. This has moved up an hour from the 3pm time PG&E announced yesterday. PG&E is currently estimating the “all-clear” to begin inspecting lines at 6am Monday, but duration of restoration will be dependent on level of damages sustained during the wind event. Downed power lines and trees may likely impact rate of restoration.
Check if your address is affected at psps.ss.pge.com/.
October 26, 2019 at 8:30 AM
Although winds may be calm early this morning, don’t let that fool you.
? Winds will begin to pick up this morning with gusts 20-35 mph possible today.
? Strongest winds will be overnight tonight – Sunday with gusts 35-60 mph possible.#CAfire #CAwx pic.twitter.com/9Jya0SHCs1
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) October 26, 2019
October 26, 2019 at 6:14 AM
An AT&T outage is affecting the Lake Vera/Round Mountain area since yesterday evening. Landlines and DSL services are down, including at YubaNet.
October 26, 2019 at 5:53 AM
National Weather Service update: High Wind Warning in effect from Saturday evening through Sunday evening. Local gusts up to 65 mph are possible. A Red Flag Warning is in effect for much of the region from 11 AM Saturday through 11 AM Monday. Strong north/northeast winds and very low humidities are likely during this time frame.
October 25, 2019 at 6:07 PM
During their media briefing, PG&E representatives announced they will make a final decision at 8:00 am tomorrow regarding the power shutoff. In the Sierra Foothills and northern region of California, the power would be turned off starting at 3:00 pm on Saturday. The blackout would be for the duration of the wind event, which PG&E states to last until late Monday morning.
October 25, 2019 at 5:38 PM
In preparation for the wind event the Tahoe National Forest will be staffing 24-hours Saturday night as they did for the last one. They have an additional strike team of Engines in route to the Tahoe with an arrival time of 1200 tomorrow. They will be moving 3 engines and a crew over from the East side of the forest since the east side does not appear to be getting the winds that we will have on the west side of the forest. 2 type 1 crews, 16 engines, 10 patrols and 2 water tenders are available on the TNF.
October 25, 2019 at 4:41 PM
National Weather Service Sacramento update:
High Wind Warning In effect from 11 pm Saturday to 11 pm Sunday.
WHAT: Northeast winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph expected. Gusts up to 70 mph over the mountains.
WHERE: Southern Sacramento Valley, Carquinez Strait and Delta, Mountains Southwestern Shasta County to Northern Lake
County, Clear Lake/Southern Lake County, Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley, Motherlode, Western Plumas County/Lassen Park and West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada
Counties.
WHEN: From 11 PM Saturday to 11 PM PDT Sunday.
The Fire Weather Watch has been upgraded to a Red Flag Warning which is in effect for much of the region from 11 AM Saturday through 5 AM Monday. Strong north/northeast winds and very low humidities are likely during this time frame.
Nevada County Update at 4:00 pm
Prepare for Upcoming Power Outages and Red Flag Warning
National Weather Service has announced a Red Flag Warning and High Wind Watch Saturday evening through Sunday evening. PG&E is monitoring the event and may turn off power to areas of Western Nevada County Saturday evening through Monday afternoon for another Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). Nevada County is posting local updates to our website at www.MyNevadaCounty.com/OctoberPSPS and County social media channels.
Power Outage and Fire Weather Preparedness
Start preparing now for another potential PSPS; once your power is restored, take the opportunity to recharge your devices and restock water if you are on a well. Refuel cars and generators, stock up on supplies, and withdraw cash while the ATMs have power.
Make sure your Go Bag is ready and your car is parked towards the road, and take a moment to check in with friends, family, and neighbors to see if they have any needs you may be able to help with. Find more information and checklists in the Office of Emergency Services 2019 Ready, Set, Go! Guide at www.MyNevadaCounty.com/ReadySetGoGuide.
Medical Preparedness
If you have essential medical equipment that requires electricity, either have a plan to relocate temporarily to a location that still has power, have a safe backup power source, or plan to use one of PG&E’s Community Resource Centers, which are open during daylight hours. Some relocation options: Reach out to friends or family who will have generator power in the area, or who live outside of the affected area (such as Yuba City, Roseville, Rocklin, and Truckee). If this is not an option, consider hotels that are open in the area or hotels in unaffected areas. FREED also has access to limited resources to assist individuals who rely on medical equipment that requires electricity. Call 2-1-1 or 1-833-DIAL-211 if you have these specific needs.
Lowering Overnight Temperatures
Overnight temperatures are dropping to as low as 47 and 44 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Please plan ahead to stay warm with these low temperatures during PG&E’s possible PSPS this Saturday through Monday.
Generator Safety
If you don’t understand how to use your generator or battery, you risk damaging your property, endangering your life and endangering the lives of PG&E employees who may be working on power lines in your community. PG&E has provided tips on how to properly operate portable generators, permanent-standy generators, portable batteries, and home batteries. Find more information at www.pge.com/GeneratorSafety.
Food Safety Tips
With potential electricity shortages facing Nevada County, the County Department of Environmental Health offers the following food safety tips to prevent food-borne illness in the event of power outages:
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Keep potentially hazardous foods, such as meat or poultry, chilled to 41°F or less.
- Do not place hot or unrefrigerated foods in the refrigerator once the power has gone out. It will raise the temperature inside the unit. Chill food with ice baths as needed. Any foods that were prepared prior to the power outage that were not rapidly cooled should be discarded.
- If the freezer is not full, group packages together so they will retain the cold more effectively. Without power, a full freezer will keep everything frozen for about 2 days. A half-full freezer will keep food frozen 1 day.
- If you have advance warning of a power outage and if the outage is anticipated to last more than 4 hours move foods that must be refrigerated to the freezer as space will allow.
- If necessary, use block ice or bagged ice for supplemental cooling.
- Keep meat and poultry items separated from other foods so if they begin to thaw, their juices will not drip on to other foods.
- Discard any thawed food that has risen to room temperature and remained there for two (2) hours or more.
- Some facilities may need to arrange for temporary refrigerated storage units during a prolonged power outage. (e.g. mobile units/trailers).
- Kitchen ventilation units will shut off during power outages. Be advised that there have been reports of smoke, heat and grease emissions setting off alarm and fire suppression systems.
Find more information on residential food safety at www.MyNevadaCounty.com/FoodSafety.
Restaurants are approved to open if:
- You are approved to go ahead and open if you were on a generator.
- You do not need to throw out any of the animal proteins as long as your refrigerator unit was 41° or below the entire time you were without power if you did not have a generator.
- Please discard all walk in refrigeration and reach-in refrigeration dairy animal proteins and cut vegetables and fruits.
- The Environmental Health Department asks that you sanitize all food contact surfaces before you begin food prep.
Environmental Health has provided a Re-Opening Checklist after Loss of Power (PSPS Event) for food facilities and restaurants at www.MyNevadaCounty.com/RestaurantFoodSafety.
CalFresh Benefits
For residents currently receiving Cal Fresh, a mass replacement will be issued on Wednesday night, with benefits available on Thursday for customers who have issue dates on the 1st-9th. These replacement benefits will be issued at 60% of the monthly allotted amount for each customer who lost power for 4 or more hours. These benefits will cover the PSPS that occurred earlier this October.For any future PSPS events, replacement benefits will be issued on an individual basis.
Questions and concerns about the mass replacements or individual replacements can be directed to the County offices at Brighton Greens or the Eric Rood Center, or by calling (530) 265-7213 or (530) 265 7026.
Access to Power During PSPS
PG&E will be opening the following Community Resource Centers (CRC) during any outages from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.:
- Sierra College: 250 Sierra College Dr, Grass Valley, CA
- Former Penn Valley Community Church: 11739 Spenceville Road, Penn Valley, CA
- Gold Country Fairgrounds: 209 Fairgate Rd, Auburn, CA
The CRCs will provide restrooms, bottled water, electronic device charging and air-conditioned seating as usual, and will also be adding snacks, coffee, tea, hot water, flashlights and batteries, portable cell phone chargers, portable solar LED lights, coloring books and crayons.
Areas of Brunswick Basin that were re-energized Wednesday evening shortly after this week’s PG&E PSPS are considered low fire-risk areas and contain underground lines. PG&E was able to tie generators into their Brunswick Basin substation giving parts of the Brunswick Basin power and may be able to re-energize this area again shortly after deenergization for the possible Saturday through Monday PG&E PSPS.
Sill Need to Vote for the State Assembly District 1 Special Election?
Truckee and Nevada City Vote Centers for the November 5th 2019 Assembly District 1 Special General Election will be opening this Saturday, October 26th. The Rood Center and Truckee Town Hall will be open Saturday through Sunday 8am to 4pm. You can come in to vote or get a replacement vote-by-mail ballot. If you’re not currently registered to vote in Nevada County, you can register and vote conditionally same day! The Eric Rood Vote Center will be open with or without power.
PG&E Update
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today said it continues to monitor a potentially powerful and widespread dry, hot and windy weather event expected to begin impacting the service area Saturday between 6 and 10 p.m. and lasting until midday Monday.
PG&E will need to turn off power for safety several hours before the potentially damaging winds arrive. It’s important to note that as this weather system sweeps from north to south over a period of two days, PG&E customers across Northern and Central California will feel the effects of hot, dry winds at different times, which means outage times will vary, as well.
The potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is expected to affect approximately 850,000 customers and may impact portions of 36 counties across portions of Humboldt, the Sierra foothills, Western Sacramento Valley, North Bay, and across the greater Bay area, Monterey Bay and northern Central Coast on Saturday, Oct. 26. Customers in the southern-most portion of PG&E’s service area in Kern County could have power shut off for safety on Sunday, Oct. 27.
Predictive data models indicate the weather event could be the most powerful in California in decades, with widespread dry Northeast winds between 45-60 miles per hour (mph) and peak gusts of 60-70 mph in the higher elevations.
Winds of this magnitude pose a higher risk of damage and sparks on the electric system and rapid wildfire spread. The fire risk is even higher because vegetation on the ground has been dried out by recent wind events.
Given the forecast and conditions, PG&E is advising its customers of the potential for a widespread PSPS lasting several days, intended to prevent a catastrophic wildfire. As this intense weather event approaches the service area in the next 24 hours, PG&E’s forecasts will offer sharper detail, noting that the scope may continue to change on the number of customers who will be affected.
Counties Potentially Impacted
| County | Customers | Cities or unincorporated areas with some customers potentially impacted |
| Alameda | Total: 57,360
Medical Baseline: 1,302 | Albany, Berkeley, Canyon, Castro Valley
Dublin, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Sunol |
| Alpine | Total: 66
Medical Baseline: 0 | Bear Valley |
| Amador | Total: 19,909
Medical Baseline: 974 | Amador City, Drytown, Fiddletown, Ione, Jackson, Martell, Pine Grove, Pioneer, Plymouth, River Pines, Sutter Creek, Volcano |
| Butte | Total: 19,152
Medical Baseline: 1,398 | Bangor, Berry Creek, Brush Creek, Butte Meadows, Chico, Clipper Mills, Cohasset, Feather Falls, Forbestown, Forest Ranch, Magalia, Oroville, Palermo, Paradise, Rackerby, Stirling City, Yankee Hill |
| Calaveras | Total: 30,396
Medical Baseline: 1,370 | Angels Camp, Arnold, Avery, Burson, Camp Connell, Campo Seco, Copperopolis, Dorrington, Douglas Flat, Glencoe, Hathaway Pines, Mokelumne Hill, Mountain Ranch, Murphys, Rail Road Flat, San Andreas, Sheep Ranch, Tamarack, Vallecito, Valley Springs, Wallace, West Point, White Pines, Wilseyville |
| Colusa | Total: 64
Medical Baseline: 2 | Arbuckle, Maxwell, Sites, Williams |
| Contra Costa | Total: 48,824
Medical Baseline: 1,610 | Alamo, Antioch, Brentwood, Byron, Canyon, Clayton, Concord, Crockett, Danville, Diablo, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Hercules, Kensington, Knightsen, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Port Costa, Richmond, Rodeo, San Pablo, San Ramon, Walnut Creek |
| El Dorado | Total: 56,643
Medical Baseline: 2,774 | Cameron Park, Camino, Cold Springs, Coloma, Cool, Diamond Springs, El Dorado Hills, Fair Play, Garden Valley, Georgetown
Greenwood, Grizzly Flats, Kelsey, Kyburz, Lotus, Mount Aukum, Pacific House, Pilot Hill, Placerville, Pollock Pines, Rescue, Shingle Springs, Somerset, Twin Bridges |
| Glenn
| Total: 43
Medical Baseline: 2 | Orland, Willows |
| Humboldt | Total: 64,710
Medical Baseline: 2,057 | Alderpoint, Alton, Arcata, Bayside, Blocksburg
Blue Lake, Bridgeville, Carlotta, Eureka, Fernbridge, Ferndale, Fieldbrook, Fields, Landing, Fortuna, Garberville, Honeydew, Hoopa, Hydesville, Kneeland, Korbel, Loleta Manila, Mckinleyville, Miranda, Myers Flat, Orick, Orleans, Phillipsville, Redcrest, Rio Dell, Samoa, Scotia, Trinidad, Weitchpec, Weott, Willow Creek |
| Kern | Total: 842
Medical Baseline: 27 | Arvin, Bakersfield, Lebec, Grapevine |
| Lake | Total: 37,441
Medical Baseline: 2,170 | Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Clearlake Park, Cobb, Finley, Glenhaven, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Lakeport, Loch Lomond, Lower Lake, Lucerne, Middletown, Nice, Upper Lake, Witter Springs |
| Marin | Total: 86,813
Medical Baseline: 1,574 | Belvedere, Bolinas, Corte Madera, Dillon Beach, Fairfax, Fallon, Forest Knolls, Greenbrae, Inverness, Kentfield, Lagunitas, Larkspur, Marshall, Mill Valley, Muir Beach, Nicasio, Novato, Olema, Point Reyes Station, Ross, San Anselmo, San Geronimo, San Rafael, Sausalito, Stinson Beach, Tiburon, Tomales, Woodacre |
| Mariposa | Total: 809
Medical Baseline: 42 | Coulterville, Greeley Hill |
| Mendocino | Total: 12,755
Medical Baseline: 408 | Albion, Boonville, Branscomb, Cummings, Dos Rios, Elk, Gualala, Hopland, Laytonville, Leggett, Little River, Manchester, Philo, Piercy, Point Arena, Potter Valley, Redwood Valley, Ukiah, Westport, Willits, Yorkville |
| Monterey | Total: 993
Medical Baseline: 49 | Aromas, Salinas |
| Napa | Total: 11,294
Medical Baseline: 248 | Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Lake Berryessa, Oakville, Pope Valley, Rutherford, St Helena, Yountville |
| Nevada | Total: 43,211
Medical Baseline: 1,822 | Chicago Park, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Norden, North San Juan, Penn Valley, Rough And Ready, Smartsville, Soda Springs, Washington |
| Placer | Total: 31,277
Medical Baseline: 1,275 | Alta, Applegate, Auburn, Baxter, Emigrant Gap, Foresthill, Gold Run, Granite Bay, Loomis, Meadow Vista, Newcastle, Penryn, Weimar |
| Plumas | Total: 785
Medical Baseline: 6 | Belden, La Porte, Quincy, Storrie, Twain |
| San Benito | Total: 1,369
Medical Baseline: 39 | Aromas, Hollister, San Juan Bautista |
| San Joaquin | Total: 372
Medical Baseline: 5 | Linden |
| San Mateo | Total: 64,932
Medical Baseline: 1,293 | Belmont, Burlingame, Daly City, El Granada, Emerald Hills, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, La Honda, Loma Mar, Montara, Moss Beach, Pacifica, Pescadero, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Gregorio, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Woodside, Unincorporated Communities in Southwest San Mateo County |
| Santa Clara | Total: 27,093
Medical Baseline: 823 | Coyote, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Redwood Estates, San Jose, San Martin |
| Santa Cruz | Total: 44,945
Medical Baseline: 2,095 | Aptos, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, Capitola, Corralitos, Felton, Freedom, La Selva Beach, Mount Hermon, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Soquel |
| Shasta | Total: 28,460
Medical Baseline: 1,663 | Anderson, Bella Vista, Big Bend, Cottonwood, French Gulch, Igo, Lakehead, Millville, Montgomery Creek, Oak Run, Ono, Palo Cedro, Platina, Round Mountain, Shingletown, Whiskeytown, Whitmore |
| Sierra | Total: 1,159
Medical Baseline: 14 | Alleghany, Downieville, Goodyears Bar, Pike City, Sierra City |
| Siskiyou | Total: 51
Medical Baseline: 0 | Somes Bar |
| Solano | Total: 10,232
Medical Baseline: 545 | Fairfield, Suisun City, Vacaville, Vallejo |
| Sonoma | Total: 92,877
Medical Baseline: 2,695 | Annapolis, Bodega, Bodega Bay, Camp Meeker, Cazadero, Cloverdale, Cotati, Duncans Mills, Forestville, Freestone, Geyserville, Glen Ellen, Graton, Guerneville, Healdsburg, Jenner, Kenwood, Larkfield, Monte Rio, Occidental, Penngrove, Petaluma, Rio Nido, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Stewarts Point, Valley Ford, Villa Grande, Windsor |
| Stanislaus | Total: 163
Medical Baseline: 2 | Knights Ferry, Oakdale, Patterson, Westley |
| Tehama | Total: 19,238
Medical Baseline: 1,218 | Corning, Flournoy, Gerber, Los Molinos, Manton, Mill Creek, Mineral, Paskenta, Paynes Creek, Proberta, Red Bluff, Vina |
| Trinity | Total: 1,046
Medical Baseline: 39 | Del Loma, Hawkins Bar |
| Tuolumne | Total: 29,454
Medical Baseline: 1,476 | Big Oak Flat, Chinese Camp, Columbia, Groveland, Jamestown, Long Barn, Mi Wuk Village, Pinecrest, Sonora, Soulsbyville, Strawberry, Twain Harte |
| Yolo | Total: 530
Medical Baseline: 15 | Brooks, Capay, Esparto, Guinda, Rumsey, Winters |
| Yuba | Total: 5,502
Medical Baseline: 313 | Browns Valley, Camptonville, Dobbins, Loma Rica, Oregon House, Strawberry Valley, Wheatland |
Shutoffs Could be Widespread and Extended
As experienced earlier in October, portions of most counties in PG&E’s 70,000-square-mile service area could be temporarily de-energized, potentially including all Tier 2 and Tier 3 fire risk regions. Customers can view the fire threat maps on the California Public Utilities Commission website to know whether they live in one of these high fire-risk regions.
Customers should prepare for a shutoff lasting 48 hours or longer, given the long duration of the wind event. Power cannot be restored until the dangerous weather has passed, safety inspections of de-energized lines are complete, and damage to the system has been repaired.
“We understand that a longer shutoff would be very difficult for our customers. We are already working to minimize the length, including amassing a force of field personnel from PG&E, plus contractors and other utility companies, to be ready to tackle the inspection, repair and restoration process as soon as the weather passes,” said PG&E Corporation CEO and President Bill Johnson.
Customer Notifications
The company provides direct notifications to affected customers who have given their contact information to PG&E 48 hours in advance of the potential shutoff, and again at 24 hours and four hours before shutoff.
PG&E has not determined whether to move forward with a shutoff, but will continue to monitor weather conditions and provide more definitive information on the potential timing and scale of shutoffs as weather models are updated.
Just trying to find out if the McCourtney transfer station has back-up power and will be open over the weekend?
No guarantees.
Clipper Mills………..power out at six thirty