PG&E weather awareness

Learn the role weather plays in a power shutoff

If weather forecasts indicate gusty winds and dry conditions, combined with a heightened fire risk, it may be necessary for us to turn off the electricity serving that area. This is called a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). Learn more about a PSPS.

IMPORTANT: This map does not reflect the most detailed and up to date information about announced Public Safety Power Shutoff events. For the latest information visit pge.com/pspsupdates.

The information in this map is intended only to provide customers with a general estimate regarding potential locations that may be impacted by a PSPS event should one become necessary. Conditions affecting a possible PSPS event can change quickly and the actual impact of a future PSPS event is uncertain.

Find your PG&E Geographic Zone and 7-day key below.

Friday, January 15, 2021

NOTE: This forecast is based on weather conditions and fuel moisture content only and does not include other criteria used to determine whether a PSPS may be necessary.

No Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events are expected for the next 7 days, but a strong offshore wind event is being monitored closely. High pressure will remain in place today through parts of Sunday, resulting in areas of valley fog and above normal temperatures. Sunday afternoon into the beginning of next week, a low-pressure system will move south along the spine of the Sierra into Southern California while strengthening. This system will be dry and thus the main impact will be an unusually prolonged period of breezy to gusty north to northeast winds Sunday night into Tuesday. Winds begin increasing across Northern California Sunday afternoon/evening and will spread south into the Central/Bay areas Sunday night into early Monday. These strong offshore winds will then continue moving south across the state Monday and look to peak across Central and Southern California Monday evening through Tuesday, before calming and exiting on Wednesday. As it relates to PSPS, the mitigating factor in this scenario is that the winter season grass crop has emerged in many areas. However, locations across the far south where the grass crop has not yet emerged significantly will need to be monitored and studied closely today. After the period of offshore winds, calmer conditions and closer to normal temperatures are then expected Thursday, with an additional weather system potentially moving into CA Friday. This system currently looks to bring parts of the state some light precipitation and some minor southerly to westerly winds. The US Drought Monitor still indicates that most of Northern CA is in severe to extreme drought at this time; however, recently observed and forecast precipitation will provide beneficial increases in fuel and soil moisture values along with the growth of the annual grass crop.

Please note: This forecast is published daily by an operational meteorologist from PG&E’s Meteorology and Analytics team. This forecast has been customized for PG&E utility operations and should not be used for any other purpose or by any other entity. This forecast only provides a broad overview for a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event in the next 7 days as determined from an analysis of forecasted weather, the potential for wind-related damage, and fuel moisture content in dead and live vegetation. It is not a fire danger forecast. The forecast is broken down by broad PG&E Geographic Zones numbered 1 - 9; however, PSPS decisions are made at more granular levels; thus, only a portion of a zone may experience a PSPS event. While a PSPS event may not be expected for an area, due to the interconnectivity of the grid any location within PG&E territory may be subject to PSPS event.

KEY for PG&E 7-Day PSPS Potential

Not Expected – Conditions that generally warrant a PSPS event are not expected at this time.

Elevated – An upcoming event (a period of gusty winds, dry conditions, heightened risk) is being monitored for an increased potential of a PSPS event.

PSPS Watch – The company Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated for a reasonable chance of executing PSPS for public safety in a given geographic zone due to a combination of adverse weather and dry fuel conditions. A PSPS watch is typically only issued within 72 hours before the anticipated start of an event.

PSPS Warning – The company Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated and customers in areas being considered for PSPS have been or are being notified. This level indicates execution of PSPS is probable given the latest forecast of weather and fuels and/or observed conditions. PSPS is typically executed in smaller and more targeted areas than the PG&E Geographic Zones. This level does not guarantee a PSPS execution as conditions and forecasts may change.

Find your PG&E Geographic Zone

The "7 Day Public Safety Power Shutoff Forecast map" (above) is displayed using nine PG&E Geographic Zones. Note that this map gives only a general idea of the area(s) that could be impacted by a potential PSPS. When an actual PSPS event is announced, detailed maps of the impacted areas will be available through our Public Safety Power Shutoff event information page.

View a high-resolution map of the PG&E Geographic Zones (PDF, 1.7 MB). You can also find the California counties in each PG&E Geographic Zone in this table:

	Zone	Counties
	Zone 1	Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity*
	Zone 2	Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity
	Zone 3	Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma*
	Zone 4	Alameda, Colusa, Contra Costa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, San Benito, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity*, Yolo
	Zone 5	Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Tehama*, Yuba
	Zone 6	Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara*
	Zone 7	Fresno, Kern, Kings, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus*
	Zone 8	Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Madera, Mariposa, San Joaquin, Tulare*, Tuolumne
	Zone 9	Kern, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Tulare*, Ventura

* Your county appears in multiple zones.

Review the criteria used in determining a PSPS

Although weather conditions help us determine when there's an increased risk for fire, we carefully review a combination of many criteria before shutting off power for safety.

Low humidity levels, generally 20 percent and below.
Forecasted sustained winds generally above 25 mph and wind gusts in excess of approximately 45 mph, depending on location and site-specific conditions such as temperature, terrain, vegetation and local climate.
Moisture content: Condition of dry fuel on the ground and live vegetation (dead and live fuel moistures).
On-the-ground, real-time observations from PG&E's Wildfire Safety Operations Center and field crews.
A Red Flag Warning declared by the National Weather Service. IMPORTANT: A Red Flag Warning alone does not automatically trigger a Public Safety Power Shutoff.
Information from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and National Weather Service, including high risk days and locations considered “critical burn environments” in our service area. IMPORTANT: These indications alone do not automatically trigger a Public Safety Power Shutoff.
Visit the NIFC Northern California Fire Potential Map
Visit the NIFC Southern California Fire Potential Map
Visit the National Weather Service California Fire Weather Map

NOTE: Although weather or other conditions where you live may not be at high risk for fire, your electricity could also be turned off due to the interconnectivity of the power grid.

Explore PG&E's weather map

Whether it's a big winter storm on the horizon or an extended spell of hot and dry weather, PG&E continuously monitors the weather to make sure we're ready to respond to whatever hits our service area. A team of meteorologists analyzes information around the clock to make sure we have the right data to plan ahead and help our customers prepare.

This interactive weather map was created by collecting information from weather stations or cameras throughout PG&E's service territory. The weather stations can vary in the type of information collected (for example, one may report wind only, while another may report humidity, temperature, wind speed and more). Also, each weather station includes its own information timestamp.

We've made this map available to our customers so that you can have the latest information that may affect your plans to help you prepare. Learn how to use the interactive features to display the data you want to see by clicking on the information bar below the map.

View map as full screen

NOTE: Internet Explorer is not supported for this application.

The information displayed on and available through this webpage is intended only to provide customers with a general estimate regarding potential locations that may be impacted by a PSPS event should one become necessary. Conditions affecting a possible PSPS event can change quickly and the actual impact of a future PSPS event is uncertain.

Learn how to use the Weather Map

There are two ways to use the map:

APPLY FILTERS:

Select "Menu." Choose any filter to view that information throughout our service area:

Cameras
Humidity
Precipitation
Temperatures
Wind speeds
Wind gusts*
Red Flag Warnings, if declared by the National Weather Service

*A gust is a rapid fluctuation of wind speed with variations of 10 knots or more. Wind gusts are typically averaged over 3 to 5 seconds whereas wind speeds are averaged over 1 to 2 minutes.

SEARCH BY CITY:

Type your town or city into the search box, then select it from the drop-down choices. Weather stations in your area will appear on the map. Select the station(s) closest to your location to view the information it reports.

Also available in the menu:

Locations of high-definition cameras providing real-time monitoring in high fire-risk areas.
Lists of top-five weather-watch locations in PG&E’s service area.
Sunrise and sunset times for current day and next day.
A list of all weather stations in the PG&E service territory and the weather information reported by each.

SAFETY TIP: Help us reach you when it’s important. Make sure we have your correct email address and phone number so we can reach out to you in advance of a public safety power outage, when and where possible.

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