SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Pacific Gas and Electric Company began its Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) on Wednesday night in multiple Northern California counties.

A total of 20,830 customers are without power across Placer, El Dorado, Calaveras, Amador, Nevada, Yuba, Sierra, Plumas and Butte counties. Shutoffs also began for customers in Contra Costa, Alameda, Shasta, Lassen, Napa and Sonoma counties.

About 88,000 PG&E customers across parts of 29 California counties are facing possible power shutoffs this week, up from an earlier announcement that 70,000 customers could be impacted.

PG&E said its activating its PSPS protocols from Wednesday through Saturday to reduce the chance of its equipment starting fires.

PG&E cited the elevated fire danger due to dry and gusty conditions and low humidity with the strongest winds expected in the Sierra, Southern Central Coast and parts of the North Bay and East Bay.

According to our weather team, the strongest winds are expected overnight and during the early morning hours. Northeasterly winds will begin strengthening in the Sierra Wednesday evening, with gusts reaching 45 mph overnight into Thursday morning. Another round of gusty winds is expected Thursday night into Friday morning.

Though not strong enough to be considered high winds, easterly/northeasterly winds are particularly concerning because they descend the Sierra’s western slopes, accelerating as they funnel through gaps and mountain passes. As these winds move into the valley, they also dry out the air and vegetation, creating conditions favorable for fire growth. As a result, a Red Flag Warning will remain in effect through Friday morning due to the elevated fire danger.

This content is imported from x. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

WATCHING THE WIND

The north breeze will weaken tonight in the Valley.

But gusty EAST winds will pick up in the Sierra & Foothills early Thursday morning – late Friday. @PGE4Me cites the wind forecast & dry air/fuels as the reason for widespread PSPS outages. @kcranews pic.twitter.com/PXxabz5JlG

— Heather Waldman (@KCRAHeather) October 13, 2026

“We’re still closely tracking exactly where we expect the storm to impact the most,” Paul Moreno, a spokesperson for PG&E, said on Tuesday.

The utility said the shutoffs are a last resort designed to keep overhead power lines or equipment damaged by wind from sparking a wildfire.

This content is imported from infogram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

PG&E said it tries to give customers at least two days’ notice to help them prepare.

“Customers can do things like obtain dry ice to help keep their food and medicine cold, keep their electronic devices charged, and have generators on hand if needed,” Moreno said.

The outages could also impact 5,500 Medical Baseline customers and six tribal governments: Big Sandy Rancheria, Guidiville Rancheria, Mooretown Rancheria, North Fork Rancheria, Pit River Tribes and Tuolumne Rancheria.

A sign outside a Pollock Pines fire station showed high fire danger, highlighting the conditions that could lead to the shutoff. Officials said the weather and the need to prevent wildfires were driving the decision.

“At this point, it’s like here we go again, the breeze is blowing,” said Tim Roffe, a Pollock Pines resident.

Roffe added, “We’re a little more prepared up here than maybe other people would, because we do have snow, and we do get power outages for trees down and that kind of thing. But it’s still ridiculous that we have to have these power shutoffs due to weather.”

Bruce Jenkins, another Pollock Pines resident, expressed concern about the impact of the shutoffs.

“They do have to be worried about liability, but it’s going to be really hard for a lot of people,” Jenkins said.

Originally, PG&E said about 3,000 customers who were impacted by an earlier PSPS event last weekend could be affected again. That number rose when 25,000 customers were added.

The company also said about 7,300 customers included in the original planned shutoffs have been removed.

The El Dorado County Fire Protection District stressed the importance of having a plan in place, whether it involves staying with someone who has a generator or ensuring safe generator use.

“When generators are being used, that they’re used at least 20 feet away from any opening in the house, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, and not to use any generators within the house or next to the house because of the fire danger that they could pose,” said Jacob Poganski of the El Dorado County Fire Protection District.

PG&E has identified more than 40 community resource centers where customers can charge devices, access snacks, water, and Wi-Fi in the event of a shutoff.

(Video below: Here are fire safety tips for things you can do.)

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google