PG&E Crews Out in Full Force Restoring Power Amid Historic Storm Conditions Across Northern and Central California

FINAL UPDATE: Jan. 17, 12 PM

As of noon on January 17, PG&E has restored 99.5% of customers impacted by the powerful series of storms since New Year’s Eve. Crews will remain out in force until all restorations are complete. For updates and status of estimated times of restoration in your area, please visit www.pge.com/outages.

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UPDATE: Jan. 16, 12 PM

After moderate to heavy rain this morning, lingering showers, gusty winds and some isolated thunderstorms trail the storm system as it moves South and to the East.

Nearly 500 PG&E crews are out in force today, continuing to address power outages, especially in harder-to-reach areas like the Sierra, where customers can expect a bit more snowfall. As of 11 a.m., 28,000 customers were without power, system-wide.

Tomorrow could see remnant showers along the southern Sierra and Grapevine in the early morning hours, with fair and dry conditions in the other parts of the PG&E service area through the rest of this week.

In addition to PG&E Currents, you can find the latest outage information and follow us on our social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

Joe Wilson, Vice President North Valley & Sierra Region, provides a storm update.

 

A PG&E system inspector snowshoeing their way to assess damage on a utility pole high up a hill.

 

 

UPDATE: Jan. 15, 6:10 p.m.

PG&E has safely restored power to more than 2.6 million customers since a powerful winter storm series began on Dec. 30. As PG&E continues working day and night to restore power to the 6,500 customers who remain out of power, there is good news on the horizon. The storm expected to hit Sunday night into Monday, looks to be the last in this atmospheric river event. To learn more about the historic impacts of the system, and what’s coming our way next, watch this video with PG&E meteorologist Scott Strenfel.

 

 

UPDATE: Jan. 15, 9:30 AM

With perhaps the last storm in this extended storm series due to arrive late today and into Monday, PG&E crews continue to focus on restoring power to customers who were impacted by the previous storms. As of 9 a.m., there are about 11,000 customers without power; most of those were customers who lost power during Saturday’s storm. Since Dec. 30, PG&E has restored power to more than 2.6 million customers. PG&E meteorologists say the next weather system to impact our service area moves toward the coast this afternoon, with rain spreading over the Bay Area, Central Coast and portions of the Central Valley by this evening. Tonight, and into tomorrow, that storm will bring another round of moderate to locally heavy rain, breezy to gusty southerly winds, isolated thunderstorms and heavy mountain snows with the heaviest impacts expected south of Interstate 80. In addition to PG&E Currents, you can find the latest outage information and storm tips on pge.com. 

 

UPDATE: Jan. 14, 1:30 p.m.

During PG&E’s historic storm response, the company continues to support customers who have been impacted by the extreme weather, particularly those who are experiencing extended outages.

As part of this effort, PG&E has partnered with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) to offer support for older adults and people with disabilities through the Disability Disaster Access and Resources (DDAR) Program. Through this program older adults and people with disabilities who are dependent on electricity for medical and life sustaining needs are eligible for portable batteries, lodging, accessible transportation, food replacement and generator fuel gift cards. 

PG&E has also partnered with the 2-1-1 network to provide support for our vulnerable community members with Access or Functional Needs, as well as local food banks across our service area, which are providing food replacement to customers impacted by extended outages.

Finally, to support customers who have been impacted by storms, PG&E has negotiated discounted hotel rates for customers experiencing extended outages. Additional information about the discounts, including participating locations and access codes, is available at pge.com/stormsafety.

As of 1:30 p.m., approximately 21,000 customers are without power. PG&E crews, along with our utility and contractor partners from across the country, will continue to work until all customers have been safely restored.

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 14, 9:00 a.m.

As another wave of extreme weather descends on California, crews continue their work to restore power safely to the areas hardest hit by this month’s historic storms.

As of 9:00 a.m., roughly 34,000 customers are without power. Wet and windy weather will continue throughout the weekend and customers are urged to remain safe and prepare for the possibility of a power outage.

In the Santa Cruz mountains, crews continue to encounter access issues due to flooding, downed trees, and unstable soil that, in some cases, have led to extended outages for customers. In the instance above, crews worked late into the night to remove a downed tree that had blocked access to a customer’s home.

PG&E crews, along with our utility and contractor partners from across the country, will continue to work until all customers have been safely restored.

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 13, 2:00 p.m.

Following nearly two weeks of continuous winter storms, a small portion of the more than 2.4 million customers impacted by this historic series of atmospheric rivers remains without power due to access issues and difficult conditions in the field.

As of 1:30 pm, on Friday, Jan. 13, roughly 14,000 customers remain without power, with nearly 7,000 of these located in the South Bay and Central Coast, which experienced devastating storm damage. Outages in this area are a testament to the difficult conditions faced by responding crews, who are encountering downed trees, damaged roads, and unstable soils.

To support customers who are experiencing extended outages, PG&E is partnering with various local non-profits like Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County to provide food and nearly 7,330 go bags with water, snacks, a battery pack for charging devices and blankets at warming centers across the state.

With another round of extreme weather on the horizon, customers are urged to stay safe and remain prepared. For tips, visit PG&E Safety Action Center (pge.com).

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 12, 9:00 p.m.

As of 9pm, approximately 12,000 customers are currently without power.

This is the single largest winter storm response in PG&E’s history, with more than 7,200 PG&E personnel, contractor and mutual aid partners from across North America working to restore power to customers in communities across California.  

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 12, 3:00 p.m.

We continue to utilize the temporary break in weather to enter areas where access has been a challenge and make assessment of what repairs will be needed for restoration. As of 3:00 p.m., approx.19,300 customers are currently without power. County outage information can be found here.

To support our vulnerable community members with access or functional Needs, PG&E has partnered with the 211 network. If you are a PG&E customer experiencing a power outage due to the winter storm and dependent on electricity for medical needs, or an individual with Access and Functional Needs, call 2-1-1 to see what resources may be available in your area.

PG&E continues to provide support to several county and independent community resource services that offer food replacement. The following is a list of counties where these resources can be found: 

• Yolo County Food Bank (Yolo County)
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz County)
• Second Harvest Food Bank of San Joaquin & Stanislaus (San Joaquin & Stanislaus County)
• Food For People (Humboldt County)
• Placer Food Bank (Placer, El Dorado & Nevada Counties)
• El Dorado County (El Dorado County)
• Nevada County Food Bank (Nevada County)
• Interfaith Council for Amador (Amador County)
• Redwood Empire Food Bank (Sonoma County)
• Merced County Food Bank (Merced & Mariposa County)
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley (San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties)
• Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency (Tuolumne County)
• Food Bank FOR Monterey County (Monterey County)

PG&E is also working with counties and tribes to fulfill more than 300 requests for small generators. Nearly 7,330 go bags that include water, snacks, a battery pack for charging devices have been provided at warming centers in Amador, El Dorado, Humboldt, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Yolo, and Yuba counties.  

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 12, 10:25 a.m.

Overnight and into the morning, crews continued to make progress on restoration. Since the storms began, more than 2.3 million customers have been restored.

The break in the weather today will provide an opportunity to make further progress on repairs and restoration and conduct assessments in some areas that have been inaccessible.

Following this break in storm activity, a new front will enter PG&E’s service area bringing rain and wind gusts, especially in the northern part of the state. A stronger system will arrive on Saturday bringing rain, snow as low as 4,000 feet, and high winds.

Currently, around 28,000 customers are currently without power. Many of these outages are the result of damage that is in areas where accessibility continues to be challenged.

Examples of the most common weather-related damage found throughout the service area over the last two weeks:

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 11, 9:38 p.m.

As of 9 p.m., about 29,500 customers are currently without power.

“We know it has been very impactful to our customers . . . we're committed to making sure that we stay here until the job is done and your lights are on.” — Joe Wilson, North Valley and Sierra Region Vice President.

 

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 11, 5:50 p.m.   

To support our vulnerable community members with Access or Functional Needs, PG&E has partnered with the 211 network. If you are a PG&E customer experiencing a power outage due to the winter storm and dependent on electricity for medical needs, or an individual with Access and Functional Needs, call 2-1-1 to see what resources may be available in your area.

Additionally, PG&E has partnered with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) to offer support for older adults and people with disabilities through the Disability Disaster Access and Resources (DDAR) Program. Through this program older adults and people with disabilities that are dependent on electricity for medical and life sustaining needs are eligible for portable battery, lodging, accessible transportation, food replacement and generator fuel gift cards. To reach the DDAR center visit https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/

More than 7,200 personnel are working today to continue restoring our customers after this historic series of storms. As of 5:30 p.m. today, approximately 33,000 customers remain out of power. 

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 11, 1:20 p.m.   

 

Checking in with PG&E meteorologist Ted Schlaepfer for some Wednesday afternoon perspective on this series of storms and what’s ahead. As an example of what has been happening, the 15-day rainfall from Dec. 26-Jan. 9 in San Francisco is the third highest in the city’s history, only topped by storms in 1862 and 1866. And that total, 12.37 inches, represents half of the annual average rainfall in San Francisco. The 1862 number of nearly 20 inches of rain in 15 days was part of what’s called the Great Flood of 1862.

In terms of the forecast, it’s raining in many places in PG&E’s service area today. Fairer and drier weather returns on Thursday. The most recent forecast models are in better agreement with the arrival of the next two weather systems, the first of which is a relatively weak system that will move across the majority of the service area on Friday and bring renewed rain and breezy winds, with the second and stronger weather system pushing through on Saturday with more significant rainfall and breezy to locally gusty southerly winds.

For outages by county, click here.

UPDATE: Jan. 11, 9:44 a.m.    

 

PG&E crews and others from eight states outside of California plus Canada continue to work to restore service to our customers. It’s an all-hands-on-deck situation with more than 6,000 sets of boots on the ground across Northern and Central California.

In the last 24 hours, approximately 140,000 customers have had their power restored. Since the storms first arrived on New Year’s Eve, more than 2 million customers have been restored. At 8 a.m. today, about 43,500 customers remain without power with Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties seeing the most impact. The weather looks favorable for restoration over the next few days, although issues with flooding and access remain in some locations. 

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 10, 9 p.m.             

As of 9 p.m., about 59,000 customers are currently without power. 

For outages by county, click here.

 

 

UPDATE: Jan. 10, 7:45 p.m.               

PG&E coworkers and contractors continue to work in restoring power to customers that have been impacted by the storms of the past week. As of 7:45 p.m., about 67,000 customers are currently without power. 

For outages by county, click here.

 

UPDATE: Jan. 10, 2:40 p.m.

PG&E crews have arrived to work on restoring power to the communities surrounding a beloved local pathway near the San Luis Obispo waterfront. 

About 1,250 customers near the Bob Jones Trail to Avila Beach lost power Monday morning (Jan. 9) after a tree fell and took down powerlines near the trail. 

Severe flooding along San Luis Obispo Creek following a days-long series of intense winter storms prevented earlier access to the area. Now, with flood waters receding, PG&E coworkers and contract crews are on the scene to remove the fallen tree and replace damaged poles and lines. We estimate power restoration later this evening. 

The outage exemplifies the difficult conditions affecting power to customers across PG&E’s service area, where increasingly severe winter storms have resulted in major flooding, high winds and unstable soils, which are causing mudslides, downed trees and other damage. Falling trees, rock and debris flows are frequent and pose hazards for utility crews seeking access to make repairs.

Across PG&E’s service area, about 114,000 customers remain out of power, including about 63,000 customers along the Central Coast and in the South Bay. 

Our crews conduct assessments and restoration as soon as it is safe to do so. In areas where restoration may take longer due to extensive damage or safety hazards, PG&E will within 24 hours provide affected customers an estimated time of restoration.

For outages by county, click here.

UPDATE: Jan. 10, 11:30 a.m.

PG&E crews, contractors and mutual aid partners are working to restore power after new damage caused by the most recent round of winter storms. 

Teresa Alvarado, Vice President, South Bay & Central Coast Region, provides an overview of PG&E’s largest ever winter storm response from the Central Coast, which was hard hit by wind, rain and flooding. As of 11:30 a.m., approximately 155,000 customers were without power across the service area, with nearly 87,000 of those being in the South Bay and Central Coast. 

Look online for the latest PG&E outage information due to historic winter storms hitting the area. We conduct assessments and restoration as soon as it is safe for crews to do so. In areas where restoration may take longer due to extensive damage or safety hazards, PG&E will within 24 hours provide affected customers an estimated time of restoration.

UPDATE: Jan. 10, 9:30 a.m. 

A team of more than 5,000 PG&E crews and coworkers is working to restore power to customers who lost power during the most recent squall in a series of winter storms that has battered Northern and Central California.

Overnight, portions of the Central Coast, South Bay and Central Valley were particularly hard hit with wind, rain and more than 100 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. From the Vacaville Emergency Response Center, PG&E’s meteorology team is closely monitoring the weather to support crews in the field working to restore power safely and as quickly as possible to approximately 190,000 customers.

Visit PG&E's outage center for the latest updates.

UPDATE: Jan. 10, 6 a.m.

Another round of intense storm activity caused further havoc across the PG&E service area late Monday (Jan. 9) and early Tuesday.

Approximately 189,000 customers are without power as of 5:30 a.m., with PG&E’s North Valley and Sierra and South Bay and Central Coast regions hardest hit.

The storm activity included wind gusts exceeding 70 mph and more than 100 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes as of 5:30 a.m.

Look online for the latest PG&E outage information due to historic winter storms hitting the area. We conduct assessments and restoration as soon as it is safe for crews to do so. In areas where restoration may take longer due to extensive damage or safety hazards, PG&E will within 24 hours provide affected customers an estimated time of restoration.

Check your county's outage information here.

UPDATE: Jan. 9, 8 p.m.

PG&E coworkers and contractors continue to work restoring power to customers that have been impacted by the historic storms of the past week. As of 7:50 p.m., about 55,000 customers are currently without power. PG&E has restored approximately 1.6 million customers since Dec. 31.

PG&E continues to monitor weather, which is forecast to bring moderate to heavy rain, breezy to gusty winds, and scattered to widespread thunderstorm activity Monday evening and into Tuesday. 

Look online for the latest PG&E outage information due to historic winter storms hitting the area. We conduct assessments and restoration as soon as it is safe for crews to do so. In areas where restoration may take longer due to extensive damage or safety hazards, PG&E will within 24 hours provide affected customers an estimated time of restoration.

Check your county's outage information here.

UPDATE: Jan. 9, 4 p.m.

Dramatic footage of a tree falling in the Santa Cruz Mountains shows how a series of intense winter storms is affecting access to local communities.

The video, shot by a PG&E lineman working along Highway 9 just north of Santa Cruz, shows how the mature Douglas Fir tree’s roots, encased in ground soaked by days of heavy rains, loosened and gave way as a mudslide cascaded down a mountainside and onto the road.

The lineman, who managed to safely escape the scene, is one of more than 103 PG&E line workers currently positioned along the Central Coast to begin restoring power as soon as weather conditions improve and it is safe to begin restoration efforts.

Along the Central Coast, high winds, flooding and soil instability are making it unsafe for crews to work, which may lead to extended outages for some of our customers, as downed trees, falling rock and debris flows are likely and pose hazards for crews seeking access.

About 24,000 customers along the Central Coast and in the South Bay remain without power.

Look online for the latest PG&E outage information due to historic winter storms hitting the area. We conduct assessments and restoration as soon as it is safe for crews to do so. In areas where restoration may take longer due to extensive damage or safety hazards, PG&E will within 24 hours provide affected customers an estimated time of restoration.

Check your county's outage information here.

UPDATE: Jan. 9, 3:05 p.m. 

PG&E has mobilized its largest storm response effort in company history to respond to a series of three major winter storms that have affected the company’s service area since New Year’s Eve.

PG&E has more than 5,000 dedicated personnel currently responding to a series of three major winter storms, including contractors and mutual aid from Southern California, Canada, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. We expect additional resources to arrive and assist in coming days.

Also, hundreds of PG&E employees are serving in the company’s Emergency Operations Center as well as in regional and divisional emergency centers.

To support customers experiencing extended outages due to the challenging conditions caused by the weather systems, PG&E has provided: 

• Nearly 3,500 go bags with water, snacks, a battery pack for charging devices and blankets at warming centers in El Dorado, Humboldt, San Mateo, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
• Twenty megawatts of temporary generation currently operating and serving about 6,300 customers. This is out of a total of 60 megawatts of temporary generation PG&E deployed throughout the system to prepare for this storm system.

PG&E is coordinating with its community-based partners to offer support to customers in need. PG&E partners with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers to offer support for older adults and people with disabilities through the Disability Disaster Access and Resources Program as well as the California Network of 2-1-1, that can connect customers to resources in their local communities.

Look online for the latest PG&E outage information due to historic winter storms hitting the area. We conduct assessments and restoration as soon as it is safe for crews to do so. In areas where restoration may take longer due to extensive damage or safety hazards, PG&E will within 24 hours provide affected customers an estimated time of restoration.

UPDATE: Jan. 9, 1:15 p.m.

As of 1:15 p.m., PG&E has about 68,000 customers systemwide experiencing an outage, down from more than 90,000 at mid-morning. Since a series of three major storms began sweeping across our service area on Dec. 31, PG&E has restored more than 1.6 million customers who experienced outages resulting from extreme weather.

Customers in 42 of the counties we serve are experiencing outages.

Our crews remain on standby to begin restoring power safely and as quickly as possible as weather conditions improve. Storm conditions continue across parts of the Central Coast, and access to damaged areas remains difficult. PG&E concurrently begins assessments and restoration as soon as it is safe to do so. If restoration is not possible quickly, PG&E will provide an estimated time of restoration (ETOR) within 24 hours for customers who will have extended outages. 

For additional details on our restoration efforts, play back our most recent public briefing on YouTube or Facebook. 

UPDATE: Jan. 9, 10:30 a.m.

PG&E continues to deploy crews to restore customers and monitor conditions during extreme weather in our service area.

Monday’s atmospheric river is especially affecting California’s Central Coast, including Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. As of 10 a.m. on Jan. 9, nearly 20,000 customers were currently without power along the Central Coast due to a storm that has created localized flooding and prompted evacuation orders in many communities. Systemwide, there are approximately 92,000 customers experiencing outages.

In many portions of the Central Coast, storm conditions, including flooding and high winds, have made it unsafe for PG&E crews to work. Those conditions may lead to extended outages for customers in those areas. PG&E has crews staged and standing by in the area, waiting for weather conditions to improve. As soon as it becomes safe to do so, crews will begin the process of restoring power safely and as quickly as possible. 

We anticipate access to damaged areas may be difficult, which could add to the time it takes to restore power. Flooding, downed trees, and unstable soil contributing to falling rock and debris flows are all likely to occur and pose hazards for crews seeking access.

Customers are also encouraged to stay up to date on local public safety announcements. Current evacuation warnings and orders are available at AWARE - Zonehaven. 

[Aerial photo above of PG&E base camp near Santa Cruz]

UPDATE: Jan. 9, 7:40 a.m.

Our service area continued to experience widespread rain, gusty winds and thunderstorm overnight and throughout the morning.

As of 8 a.m. today (Jan. 9), about 90,000 customers are currently without power. Since the initial storm hit on New Year’s Eve weekend, crews have restored about 1.6 million customers (as of Dec. 30 at 2pm). PG&E continues assessing damage and working to restore remaining customers.

In some portions of the service area, high winds, flooding, and soil instability issues have made it unsafe for crews to work, which may lead to extended outages for our customers.

This most recent series of weather systems will continue to impact PG&E’s service area bringing gusty winds, moderate to heavy rain and mountain snow through Tuesday.

PG&E has more than 4,000 dedicated personnel responding to the storm, including contractors and mutual-aid utilities from southern California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, Wisconsin and Canada.

We understand how important electricity is to keeping you and your family safe in the winter months, and we will continue working tirelessly to restore power. 

UPDATE: Jan. 8, 8:35 p.m.

As of 8:35 p.m. today (Jan. 8), about 52,725 customers impacted by the recent storms are currently without power. 

UPDATE: Jan. 8, 5 p.m.

As of 5 p.m. today (Jan. 8), about 68,800 customers impacted by the recent storms are currently without power. 

Adding to the series of winter storms, the incoming weather system is expected to bring strong winds, heavy rain and snow and a chance of thunderstorms leading to localized flooding, soil instability, and fallen trees. More than 4,100 crews along with resources are staged throughout our service area, including regions most impacted by the storms. The coordination around this series of storms is one of the largest emergency response efforts in our history. 

PG&E currently has two basecamps in Mendocino and Santa Cruz counties to stage resources and house hundreds of PG&E, contractor and mutual aid crews to support storm response and restoration efforts. 

Additionally, PG&E is supporting our customers who are experiencing extended outages by:

• Providing nearly 3,000 go bags with water, snacks, a battery pack for charging devices and blankets at warming centers in El Dorado, Humboldt, San Mateo, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
• Calling our customers on the Medical Baseline program, providing 2-1-1 as a support line and referring customers to other resources based on their needs.
• Providing additional support to customers with Access and Functional Needs on a case-by-case basis. 

Compounded impacts from successive storms could impede access and cause safety risks for customers and PG&E crews. Please be prepared in the event that an outage occurs in your area. Safety tips can be found here: Safety and Preparedness, Storm Safety, and Safety Action Center.

UPDATE: Jan. 8, 1 p.m.

As of 1 p.m. today (Jan. 8), about 111,000 customers are currently without power.

A regional snapshot with details on the impact to PG&E’s infrastructure from the recent series of storms can be found below:

Important safety reminder for customers: Never touch downed wires. If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 911 and by calling PG&E at 1-800-743-5002. 

Regional snapshot:

North Bay:

A transmission line was damaged in the storm on January 4, which delayed restoration for many customers in the area. When repairs to the transmission line were completed, we identified many areas of additional damage to distribution lines served by that transmission circuit. Additionally, fallen trees in the West Marin are creating safety risks for crews and further delaying our restoration efforts.

Sonoma County area:

Fallen trees in the Fort Ross and Monte Rio areas are creating access and safety risks for our crews. Due to the number of tree risks, work has been delayed in some areas until it is deemed safe to resume. We have seen multiple outages on the same circuits as newly repaired lines are damaged by additional trees that were knocked down by the continued stormy weather. We have both electric and vegetation crews standing by to resume work when it is safe.

North Valley and Sierra areas:

The North Valley and Sierra areas experienced widespread damage in multiple communities overnight from the most recent storm. Our initial response is focused on making our communities safe, due to multiple poles and powerlines on the ground. We are working safely and as quickly as possible to assess the damage and assign crews to repair and restore power.

Central Valley including the area around Stockton and north of Fresno:

This area experienced high winds and rains overnight resulting in widespread damage in many of our communities. Crews are working safely and as quickly as possible to assess the widespread damage due to downed poles, wires, and trees so crews can begin repairs and restore power.

North Coast region:

The North Coast region including Humboldt, Trinity, Siskiyou, Mendocino and Lake counties continues to be impacted by the winter storm series with hundreds of outages that require equipment repairs. In many cases, our crews have had to stand-down for safety due to hazardous wind conditions. We also have ongoing access issues due to flooding, landslides and fallen trees across roads. Numerous downed trees and limbs have to be mitigated before equipment repairs can begin. In rugged mountain terrain, foot patrol is required to visually inspect equipment as weather conditions prevent aerial patrol of electric lines. We are working safely and as quickly as possible to assess the damage and assign crews to repair and restore power. 

Santa Cruz County:

In preparation for the incoming weather, PG&E set up a centralized base camp in Santa Cruz with strategically placed locations throughout the County to store materials days before the New Year’s Eve weekend storm. The storm series continues to hit Santa Cruz County requiring our crews to stand down for safety and impacting our restoration efforts while creating new outages daily since Jan. 4. The area has experienced extreme damage due to mud slides, rock slides, flooding, and fallen trees, which has damaged our equipment and limited our access to visually inspect lines before repairs can begin. Additionally, required foot patrols in rugged mountain terrain have created delays as the weather has prevented most aerial patrols. We will continue to work safely and as quickly as possible to assess damage and assign crews to repair and restore power. 

San Mateo County:

San Mateo County, particularly the coastal region, has experienced widespread damage in multiple communities from the recent storms. The heavy rains and strong winds have caused widespread damage and will continue to do so as additional weather fronts come in throughout the week. Challenges created by the weather such as fallen trees, flooding, strong winds, unstable soil, road closures and washed-out bridges have created delays in inspecting infrastructure to repair and restore power. In many cases, our crews are still assessing the full extent of damage that’s occurred to the electric system in your area. 

UPDATE: Jan. 8, 9 a.m.

Our service area experienced widespread rain, gusty winds and thunderstorms yesterday and overnight.

As of 9 a.m. today (Jan. 8), about 161,000 customers are currently without power. Since the initial storm hit on New Year’s Eve weekend, crews have restored about 1.5 million customers (as of Dec. 30 at 2pm). PG&E continues assessing damage and working to restore remaining customers.

A series of weather systems will continue to impact PG&E’s service area bringing gusty winds, moderate to heavy rain and mountain snow through Tuesday. Localized flooding and soil instability issues are expected to continue.

PG&E has more than 4,000 dedicated personnel responding to the storm, including contractors and mutual-aid utilities from southern California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, Wisconsin and Canada.

We understand how important electricity is to keeping you and your family safe in the winter months, and we will continue working tirelessly to restore power. 

UPDATE: Jan. 7, 7 p.m.

PG&E crews have restored power to more than 712,000 customers since the last storm began Wednesday (Jan. 4). Crews have restored power to more than 1.2 million customers since the initial storm hit on New Year’s Eve. About 80% of all customers have been restored within 12 hours, and nearly 92% have had power restored within 24 hours.

Just over 34,000 customers are currently without power following the significant series of storms that impacted PG&E’s service area. PG&E continues assessing damage and working to restore remaining customers.

PG&E has more than 4,000 dedicated personnel responding to the storm, including contractors and mutual-aid utilities from Southern California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington and Canada. Additional resources are expected to arrive and assist in the coming days.

We understand how important electricity is to keep you and your family safe in the winter months, and we will continue working tirelessly until your power is back on.

Estimated Times of Restoration (ETOR), as of Jan. 6 at 1:45 pm

• Bay Area: EOD Sunday 1/8
• Central Valley: EOD Saturday 1/7
• North Coast: Sonoma Division 1/10, North Bay Division 1/8, Humboldt Division 1/14*
• North Valley/Sierra: EOD Saturday 1/7
• South Bay/Central Coast: EOD Sunday 1/8

* Sonoma, North Bay and Humboldt divisions have been impacted by intense weather conditions, and restorations have been delayed due to access challenges resulting from tree failures, flooding and road closures.

ETORs are when we expect to be finished in the area, and some customers may get power back before the ETOR that is listed. ETORs will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Please ensure that your contact information is up to date in your www.pge.com account, so that we can share updates with you as soon as possible.

UPDATE: Jan. 7, 2:30 p.m.

PG&E crews have restored power to more than 610,000 customers since the last storm began Wednesday (Jan. 4). Crews have restored power to more than 1 million customers since the initial storm hit on New Year’s Eve. Approximately 80% of all customers have been restored within 12 hours, and nearly 90% have had power restored within 24 hours. 

Roughly 33,000 customers are currently without power following the significant series of storms that impacted PG&E’s service area. PG&E continues assessing damage and working to restore remaining customers.

PG&E has more than 3,800 dedicated personnel responding to the storm, including mutual-aid and contractor resources from southern California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, and Canada. Additional resources are expected to arrive and assist in the coming days. 

We understand how important electricity is to keep you and your family safe in the winter months, and we will continue working tirelessly until your power is back on.

Estimated Times of Restoration (ETOR), as of Jan. 7 at 11:30 a.m. are as follows: 

• Bay Area: end of day Saturday 1/7
• Central Valley: end of day Saturday 1/7
• North Coast: Sonoma Division 1/10, North Bay Division 1/8, Humboldt Division 1/14*
• North Valley/Sierra: end of day Saturday 1/7
• South Bay/Central Coast: end of day Sunday 1/8 

*Sonoma, North Bay and Humboldt divisions have been impacted by intense weather conditions, and restorations have been delayed due to access challenges resulting from tree failures, flooding and road closures. 

ETORs are when we expect to be finished in the area, and some customers may get power back before the ETOR that is listed. ETORs will be updated as additional information becomes available. 

PG&E currently has 60 megawatts of temporary generation deployed throughout the system serving 6,300 customers in Willow Creek, Hoopa and Salmon Creek.

PG&E’s Hazard Awareness & Warning Center (HAWC) team monitors the customer service area 24/7/365 for hazards that may impact the safety of the public, our customers, and our coworkers.

This HAWC team monitors PG&E’s service area via High-Definition cameras (over 600) along with a variety of safety information that comes directly from the CHP, CAL TRANS, The National Weather service and more to gather continuous intelligence on hazards that may impact the service area.

Please ensure that your contact information is up to date in your www.pge.com account.

UPDATE: Jan. 6, 7:27 p.m.

PG&E crews have restored power to more than 516,000 customers since the last storm began Wednesday (Jan. 4). Approximately 72% of those customers have been restored within 12 hours.

Roughly 36,000 customers are currently without power after the Atmospheric River that impacted the PG&E service area. PG&E continues assessing damages and working to restore customers.

PG&E has more than 3,800 dedicated personnel out in the field today, including mutual-aid and contractor resources from southern California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington and Canada. Additional resources are expected to arrive and assist in the coming days.

We understand how important electricity is to keep you and your family safe in the winter months, and we will continue working tirelessly until your power is back on.

Estimated Times of Restoration (ETOR), as of Jan. 6 at 1:45 pm

• Bay Area: EOD Saturday 1/7
• Central Valley: EOD Saturday 1/7
• North Coast: Sonoma Division 1/10, North Bay Division 1/8, Humboldt Division 1/14*
• North Valley/Sierra: EOD Saturday 1/7
• South Bay/Central Coast: EOD Sunday 1/8

* Sonoma, North Bay and Humboldt divisions have been impacted by intense weather conditions, and restorations have been delayed due to access challenges resulting from tree failures, flooding and road closures.

ETORs are when we expect to be finished in the area, and some customers may get power back before the ETOR that is listed. ETORs will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Please ensure that your contact information is up to date in your www.pge.com account, so that we can share updates with you as soon as possible.

UPDATE: Jan. 6, 2:45 p.m.

PG&E crews have restored power to more than 514,000 customers since the last storm began Wednesday (Jan. 4). Approximately 72% of those customers have been restored within 12 hours.

Roughly 51,000 customers are currently without power after the Atmospheric River that impacted the PG&E service area. PG&E continues assessing damages and working to restore customers.

PG&E has more than 3,800 dedicated personnel out in the field today, including mutual-aid and contractor resources from southern California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington and Canada. Additional resources are expected to arrive and assist in the coming days.

We understand how important electricity is to keep you and your family safe in the winter months, and we will continue working tirelessly until your power is back on.

Estimated Times of Restoration (ETOR), as of Jan. 6 at 1:45 pm

• Bay Area: EOD Saturday 1/7
• Central Valley: EOD Saturday 1/7
• North Coast: Sonoma Division 1/10, North Bay Division 1/8, Humboldt Division 1/14
• North Valley/Sierra: EOD Saturday 1/7
• South Bay/Central Coast: EOD Sunday 1/8

ETORs are when we expect to be finished in the area, and some customers may get power back before the ETOR that is listed. ETORs will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Please ensure that your contact information is up to date in your pge.com account, so that we can share updates with you as soon as possible.

UPDATE: Jan. 6, Noon

PG&E crews have restored power to more than 510,000 customers since the last storm began Wednesday (Jan. 4). Approximately 72% of those customers have been restored within 12 hours.

Roughly 55,000 customers are currently without power after the Atmospheric River that impacted the PG&E service area. PG&E continues assessing damages and working to restore customers.

PG&E has more than 3,800 dedicated personnel out in the field today, including mutual-aid resources from southern California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington and Canada. Additional resources are expected to arrive and assist in the coming days.

We understand how important electricity is to keep you and your family safe in the winter months, and we will continue working tirelessly until your power is back on.

• If your power has been out for more than 24 hours, we are committed to providing an estimated time of restoration by 3 p.m. today (Jan. 6).

• We are still assessing damage, and additional storms are forecasted, so this estimated time may change for some customers.

• We will provide updates for your estimated time of restoration as we complete assessments.

• Please ensure that your contact information is up to date in your pge.com account, so that we can share updates with you as soon as possible.

UPDATE: Jan. 5, 10 p.m.

PG&E crews have restored power to more than 400,000 customers in the last 30 hours. Currently, ~69,000 customers are without power after the Atmospheric River that impacted the PG&E service area.

The most heavily impacted areas: 14,000 customers in the Humboldt Division, 12,000 customers in the Central Coast Division, 9,000 customers in the Peninsula Division, and 9,00 customers in the Sonoma Division. 

PG&E continues to bolster its restoration response with mutual-aid resources from southern California, Oregon, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Canada. Additional resources from Michigan and Pennsylvania are expected to arrive and assist in the coming days.

Please visit www.pge.com/outages for the most up to date outage information.

Jan. 5, 3:30 p.m.

With a historic series of winter storms damaging electric equipment and causing power outages, PG&E crews are mobilized throughout Northern and Central California assessing the damage and making repairs to restore power.

Over the 24 hours ending at 3 p.m. today (Jan. 5), PG&E has safely restored power to more than 406,000 customers. As of 3 p.m., there are approximately 2,300 outages affecting 95,500 customers, with many in the North Coast, Bay Area and Central Coast areas. PG&E recognizes the urgency of restoring power and will work diligently until all customers are restored. 

Hazards such as fallen trees, floods and debris flows have made gaining access difficult in some areas and could delay power restoration efforts. Additional storms are forecast over the coming week, which will likely also impact restoration times and lead to additional widespread outages. 

“Our crews are out in full force restoring customers safely and as quickly as possible. We are conducting assessments of damage and prioritizing repairs with a focus on critical facilities and resolving outages that are impacting the largest number of customers. We have a short window of time to make as much progress as we can before the next weather system in this series of storms enters our service area over the weekend,” said Janisse Quiñones, PG&E’s Senior Vice President, Electric Operations. 

The brunt of the atmospheric river storm hit Wednesday, bringing wind gusts over 100 mph and as much as five inches of rain in some areas. This came on the heels of an earlier series of storms, resulting in highly saturated soils that have contributed to downed trees and debris flows. 

PG&E prepared for this weather and has mobilized more than 3,000 PG&E coworkers, contractors and mutual-aid personnel. Mutual aid crews from Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, Oregon, New Mexico, Utah and Washington are also supporting response efforts. 

“I’d like to recognize the thousands of dedicated professionals out there working tirelessly to get the lights back on for our hometowns,” Quiñones said. 

Keeping customers informed 

Customers can view real-time outage information at PG&E’s online outage center and search by a specific address, city or county. This site has been updated to include support in 16 languages. 

Additionally, customers can sign up for outage notifications by text, email, or phone. PG&E will let customers know the cause of an outage, when crews are on their way, the estimated restoration time and when power has been restored. 

Storm safety tips 

•      Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 9-1-1 and then PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.

•      Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric generators should ensure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to customers, as well as crews working on powerlines. If using portable generators, be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.

•      Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights and not candles, due to the risk of fire. And keep extra batteries on hand. If you must use candles, please keep them away from drapes, lampshades, animals and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.

•      Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready as a backup. Having a portable charging device helps to keep your cell phone running.

•      Have fresh drinking water and ice: Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer to prevent food spoilage.

•      Turn off appliances: If you experience an outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns.

•      Safely clean up: After the storm has passed, be sure to safely clean up. Never touch downed wires and always call 8-1-1 or visit 811express.com at least two full business days before digging to have all underground utilities safely marked. 

Other tips can be found at: Safety and Preparedness, Storm Safety, and Safety Action Center