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Weather Alert From PG&E

Mountain Communities – Our meteorology team is forecasting that a strong weather system and associated cold front will deliver gusty winds, rain, and high elevation mountain snow to Northern California later this afternoon and into tomorrow.

Locally we expect to see moderate rainfall between midnight and 6 a.m. We urge our customers to prepare for storm conditions and to check forecasts for other areas of the state if they plan to travel today or tomorrow.

PG&E’s Storm Preparations

  • PG&E has been preparing for this storm. PG&E has a plan, and we will execute that plan. This includes the use of storm outage prediction models that help us determine the potential timing, location and number of power outages.
  • PG&E is utilizing the latest technology to help us restore power more quickly and efficiently after a storm. This includes the installation of automated equipment that “self-heals” the grid as well as timely and accurate outage data from our SmartMeter network.
  • PG&E has crews and resources on alert and ready to respond to outages as soon as they occur.
  • PG&E is staging resources (including electric coworkers and contractors) to meet the conditions forecast in our SOPP model.
  • PG&E routinely practices its preparedness and response to storms and other emergencies through company exercises and through drills with local first responders.
  • PG&E meteorologists are forecasting that a significant early season atmospheric river will push into the northern portions of the territory early on Sunday and slowly advance south and eastward Sunday into Monday. This system will bring strong winds, heavy rainfall, and high elevation mountain snow across the entire territory.
  • PG&E’s geosciences team is monitoring potential post-wildfire debris flows based on the incoming rains. This is to make field personnel working along the base of steep slopes and drainages within or below fire burn areas aware of changing land and weather conditions.

Storm Outage Prediction Model

Our storm outage prediction model is an effective tool to help us respond to power outages more efficiently. The tool utilizes a wealth of data sources to provide estimates on the potential timing, location and number of outages that we expect to see during a storm event.

Information from our outage prediction model helps us determine staffing levels needed for quick, efficient and safe power restoration before a storm arrives.

We use the model to pre-activate our local emergency centers and have employees on alert and ready to respond to power outages before the storm hits our service area.

We can also use the model to move our crews from one area to another ahead of time if it shows that one region of our service area will be more severely impacted. This allows us to pre-stage extra crews and bolsters our resources where they will be needed most before the storm arrives.

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