With gusting winds on the way, PG&E has declared its first major Public Safety Power Shutoffs of fire season in the Bay Area. PG&E said affected areas could start losing power by 7 a.m. Sunday, with an estimated restoration between noon and 4 p.m. Monday.
Ahead of forecasted 60 mph gusts, PG&E plans to preemptively cut power to high fire risk areas of the East Bay and North Bay. Planned shutoff areas include the hills between Dublin and Brentwood, areas along the 580 corridor between Tracy and Patterson, the residences along Pleasants Valley Road in Vacaville and Robert Louis Stevenson State Park in Napa Valley. Further north, power is already out in parts of Glenn and Colusa counties. A full map of planned PSPS outages can be found from PG&E.
In anticipation of fire conditions, Rockville Hills Regional Park in Fairfield also closed Sunday with an expected reopening of Tuesday.
“If your power is still on, the PSPS outage has been delayed. Remain prepared for a shutoff until PG&E sends you a PSPS cancel notice,” PG&E said mid-morning Sunday.
The National Weather Service’s Bay Area office is anticipating moderate fire weather danger in the North Bay, East Bay, South Bay and Santa Cruz County as winds pick up overnight. Sustained winds of 15 to 30 mph are expected, with gusts of 50 mph possible. On ridgelines, gusts may reach 60 mph. The worst winds are expected to start around 11 p.m. Sunday and last until 11 a.m. Monday. Any fires that start could have “rapid rates of spread,” the weather service said.