PSPS Updates: Week of December 13, 2023

UPDATED: 12/16/2023, 11:23 A.M.

PG&E Cancels Public Safety Power Shutoff in Small Portions of Kern and Santa Barbara Counties 

PG&E has notified the remaining, targeted customers that we will no longer need to turn off power for safety in small portions of Kern and Santa Barbara counties. While high wind gusts did materialize over elevated terrain, the wind event did not warrant a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).  

PG&E was able to support over 130 customers who visited our Customer Resource Center at Lebec Post Office in Kern County as they prepared for this potential event.  

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UPDATED: 12/15/2023, 5:45 P.M.

Santa Barbara county

Earlier this evening, PG&E notified ~100 customers in Santa Barbara county that the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) had been cancelled.

Kern county

An additional ~70 customers in Kern county were notified of the PSPS cancellation. The remaining ~700 Kern county customers remain under PSPS Warning.

PG&E’s meteorology department will continue to monitor real-time weather conditions in the event a de-energization is necessary.

For the most up to date information, please visit www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

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PG&E meteorology continues to monitor real-time weather conditions.  As of 4:15pm, PG&E has yet to de-energize any of the approximately 900 customer previously notified of a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).

For the latest outage information, please visit www.pge.com/pspsupdates.  

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PG&E Will Proactively Turn Off Power for Safety Starting This Morning in Small Portions of Kern and Santa Barbara Counties 

Due to a localized wind event and continuing dry conditions, including extremely dry vegetation and low humidity levels, PG&E has notified 888 customers in Kern and Santa Barbara counties that a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event will begin this morning (Dec. 15) at 9:00 a.m.  

We will notify customers when the wind event has passed and provide updates on when power is expected to be restored.  

Customers can check for updates related to their specific address and view available resources, including a Community Resource Center in Kern County, at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.  

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High Winds, Dry Conditions Mean PG&E May Need to Proactively Turn Off Power for Safety Friday Morning in Portions of  Two Counties 

PG&E Has Sent Day-Ahead Notifications to About 1,000 Customers Who Might Experience a Public Safety Power Shutoff 

PG&E is monitoring a potential dry offshore wind event forecasted to start early Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. Given this wind event and current dry conditions, including extremely dried vegetation in areas with little rainfall, PG&E sent one-day advance notifications Thursday morning to customers in targeted areas where PG&E may need to proactively turn power off for safety to reduce the risk of wildfire from energized powerlines. 

The potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event is expected to start Friday morning and affect fewer than 1,000 customers in small portions of two counties. Due to forecasted wind conditions, the PSPS event could extend through Sunday evening for some customers. A widespread PSPS event is not expected at this time. 

According to PG&E meteorologists, the primary period of concern develops Thursday evening, when relative humidity values may fall into the teens and wind gusts exceeding 50 mph may develop over the elevated terrain in portions of Santa Barbara and Kern Counties. The combination of winds and dry relative humidity in these areas where little rain has fallen in recent months increases the fire potential.  

At the time of this news release’s distribution, the planned outage is approximately 24 hours away and conditions may change.  

Potentially Affected Counties 

Customers can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at pge.com/pspsupdates. 

The potential shutoff is currently expected to affect approximately 1,000 customers across the following counties: 

• Kern County:  816 customers, 43 Medical Baseline customers 
• Santa Barbara County:  103 customers, 1 Medical Baseline customer 

Community Resource Center 

A Community Resource Center will be available within Kern County at the Lebec Post Office located in Lebec (2132 Lebec). PG&E will provide resources in these safe locations during this PSPS. The center will offer ADA-accessible restrooms, device charging, Wi-Fi, blankets, heating and bottled water, snacks and other supplies.  

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High Winds, Dry Conditions Mean PG&E May Need to Proactively Turn Off Power for Safety Friday Morning in Portions of  Two Counties

PG&E Has Sent Day-Ahead Notifications to About 1,000 Customers Who Might Experience a Public Safety Power Shutoff

PG&E is monitoring a potential dry offshore wind event forecasted to start early Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. Given this wind event and current dry conditions, including extremely dried vegetation in areas with little rainfall, PG&E sent one-day advance notifications Wednesday to customers in targeted areas in Kern and Santa Barbara counties where PG&E may need to proactively turn power off for safety to reduce the risk of wildfire from energized powerlines. 

The potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event, starting Friday morning and forecasted to last through Sunday morning, could affect approximately fewer than 1,000 customers in small portions of two counties. A widespread PSPS event is not expected at this time. 

According to PG&E meteorologists, the primary period of concern develops Thursday evening, when relative humidity values may fall into the teens and wind gusts exceeding 50 mph may develop over the elevated terrain in portions of Santa Barbara and Kern Counties. The combination of winds and dry relative humidity in these areas where little rain has fallen (the last two months) will increase the fire potential.  

At the time of this news release’s distribution, the planned outage is approximately 12 hours away and conditions may change.  

Customer notifications—via text, email and automated phone call—began Wednesday approximately two days prior to the potential shutoff. PG&E employees will conduct individual in-person visits, when possible, to customers enrolled in the company’s Medical Baseline Program who do not verify they have received these important safety communications, with a primary focus on customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment. 

Potentially Affected Counties 

Customers can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at pge.com/pspsupdates. 

The potential shutoff is currently expected to affect approximately 1,000 customers across the following counties: 

• Kern County: 816 customers; 43 Medical Baseline customers 
• Santa Barbara County: 103 customers; 1 Medical Baseline customer 

Community Resource Centers 
One Community Resource Center will be available within Kern County at the Lebec Post Office located in Lebec (2132 Lebec). PG&E will provide resources in these safe locations during this PSPS. The center will offer ADA-accessible restrooms, device charging, Wi-Fi, blankets, heating and bottled water, snacks and other supplies.  

California Network of 211 
Customers can call 211 to get help preparing for a potential power outage, or any other kind of emergency, to minimize hardships that may be caused by wildfire safety outages, like a PSPS. Support is available before, during, and after a power outage. PG&E’s 211 partnership also provides proactive, emergency preparedness outreach for those who rely on power for medical needs, have a disability, are in the aging population or have other needs.  
Call 211, text ‘PSPS’ to 211 or visit 211.org to find their local 211. 

Why PG&E Calls a PSPS Event 
We initiate PSPS when the weather forecast is for such severe weather that people’s safety, lives, homes and businesses may be in danger of wildfires.  

As each weather situation is unique, we carefully review a combination of factors when deciding if power must be turned off. These factors include:  

• Low humidity levels, generally 30% and below 
• A forecast of high winds, particularly sustained winds above 19 miles per hour and wind gusts above 30-40 miles per hour. 
• Condition of dry material on the ground and low moisture content of vegetation. 
• A Red Flag Warning declared by the National Weather Service  
• Real-time ground observations from our Hazard Awareness and Warning Center and from our crews working across the service territory. 

Our decision-making process also accounts for the presence of trees tall enough to strike powerlines. 

This set of criteria is a first step which may lead to further analysis by our meteorology team to determine if a PSPS event is necessary.