Community Corner

Wind Storm Expected, Power Outages Possible PG&E Warns

High winds could cause a lot of problems this week.


PG&E has started to prepare for strong winds expected to hit the Bay Area over the next two days that can cause fallen trees, downed power lines and road closures.

The high-wind warning for the Bay Area will be in effect from Wednesday until Thursday, as a dry weather system moves through the region, according to weather service forecaster Duane Dykema.

"It's not really what most people would consider a 'storm,'" Dykema said this morning. "It's going to be really blustery almost everywhere."

Find out what's happening in Mountain Viewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The forecast calls for blustery conditions, which means that at higher elevations anticipate gusts of 60 to 70 mph and gusts of 40 to 45 mph in lower-lying areas.

If the wind storm produces the 60 mph gusts predicted by weather forecasts expect some power outages, informed PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian Tuesday.

Find out what's happening in Mountain Viewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sarkissian said PG&E spends more than $180 million annually to inspect more than 130,000 miles of power lines in its service area from Eureka to Bakersfield to make sure they are safe.

Although the utility focuses in particular on trimming unhealthy tree limbs that overhang power lines, it also monitors healthy limbs that pose a threat, she said.

Of the power outages in PG&E's service area, 13 percent are caused by tree limbs that fall onto power lines. Of those, 90 percent are caused by healthy tree branches, she said.

CalFire Engineer John Peery added that people should always assume the power lines are live and therefore dangerous. The smart thing to do is call 911 and wait for an expert to check it out. If a power line falls on your car, stay inside and call 911. Wait for help, the firefighter advised.

Monitor power outages on this PG&E website, assuming you have web access during the blackout. Customers reporting power outages can call PG&E at 800-743-5002.

Additional reporting Bay City News


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here