Residents across the Sierra Nevada and Sacramento Valley are bracing for possible shutoffs this weekend due to high winds and dry conditions.

Sep 11, 2026

Updated 11:05 am PT

A PG&E crew makes repairs along the Iron Horse Trail near Camille Avenue in Danville, California, on March 15, 2023. The utility is monitoring northeastern counties for elevated fire risk.  (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)

Residents in large parts of Northern California could have their electricity turned off over the weekend as the region is hit with critical fire weather conditions, according to PG&E.

The utility said that public safety power shutoffs are likely on Saturday and Sunday in eight counties around the Sierra Nevada and Sacramento Valley due to high winds and dry conditions. Additional counties will be under watch as the weekend progresses, and some will continue to be monitored through Monday.

“The Emergency Operations Center remains activated, and PG&E meteorology is continuing to monitor the potential for elevated fire weather conditions to occur tomorrow through Monday morning,” PG&E said in its Friday forecast.

PG&E has issued Public Safety Power Shutoff warnings for El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra and Tehama counties on Saturday and Sunday, meaning electricity shutoffs are likely. The utility will expand its monitoring to Butte, Colusa, Glenn and Yolo counties on Sunday, meaning shutoffs could be necessary. 

PG&E is monitoring northeastern counties for elevated fire risk. (Stephanie Lister/KQED)

By Monday, only Tehama County will be under watch for likely power cuts, while Butte, Colusa and Glenn counties continue to be monitored.

PG&E said that shutoffs aren’t expected countywide, and where they’re necessary will be determined at a “granular” level. On Thursday, the utility predicted that around 14,000 customers across 11 counties could be affected.

Cooler weather is expected to blow into Northern California from the Pacific Northwest throughout the weekend after a week of extreme heat, but those milder temperatures will be accompanied by fast-moving winds, which threaten to quickly spread any fires that break out among dried-up brush and grasses.