An Update on the Atmospheric River Impacting Northern and Central California

UPDATE: March 10, 6:00 p.m.

Video Highlights Extensive Storm Damage in Monterey

Today (March 10), PG&E spokesperson Mayra Tostado was in Monterey, Calif., where she documented conditions crews face as they restore power following the heavy rain and wind storm overnight.

UPDATE: March 10, 2:15 p.m.

PG&E Continues to Restore Power to Customers Hit by Latest Atmospheric River

Approximately 48,000 PG&E customers are without power due to damage sustained from the atmospheric river that struck Northern and Central California yesterday and continues to bring rainfall today.

Approximately 75 percent of the customers experiencing an outage are in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

PG&E has over 400 crews, including 10 mutual aid crews, assessing damage, making repairs and working to restore power safely and as quickly as possible.

Since yesterday, March 9, PG&E has restored power to nearly 121,000 customers, which represents approximately 70 percent of affected customers.

In the hardest hit areas such as Monterey County crews are facing extensive damage to poles, power lines and other equipment due to fallen trees and very high winds.

UPDATE: March 10, 8:30 a.m.

Monterey County Update: Weather Impacts & PG&E's Restoration Response

As of 7 a.m. on March 10, approximately 37,000 customers in Monterey county are without power after powerful winds and rain impacted the region last night and early this morning. Monterey Regional Airport observed wind gusts exceeding 45mph.

PG&E crews are responding this morning, assessing damage and working to restore power safely and as quickly as possible. The PG&E efforts will be aided by nine crews from Southern California Edison that will be arriving in the area this morning. 

UPDATE: March 9, 3 p.m.

Forecasting the incoming weather

In this video, PG&E Meteorologist Scott Strenfel provides an update from PG&E’s Emergency Response Center in Vacaville on the storm that is slated to impact almost all parts of Northern and Central California.

The storm is expected to impact Northern and Central CA over the next 24 hours with strong southerly winds as well as abundant rain and snow creating the potential for significant and widespread outages. The abundant rain on top of existing snow-covered areas will lead to risks of flooding on creeks, streams and some major rivers. PG&E stationed resources, including over 400 crews and equipment throughout the service territory, prior to the arrival of the storm and in the areas forecasted to see the biggest electrical outage impact.

Keeping customers informed

Customers can view real-time outage information at PG&E’s online outage center and search by a specific address, by city or by 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.