As voters head to the polls on Election Day, power companies throughout California are warning customers about possible electricity shutoffs as potentially strong winds are expected in several counties.
The outages could hit small portions of 17 counties, including areas in the Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra, North Bay, and East Bay areas, starting after 9:30 p.m. in some counties. They are expected to affect about 22,000 customers.
PG&E officials don’t expect the shutoffs to affect the elections, according to PG&E Spokesman Jeff Smith.
“We’re still continuing to monitor the weather and will make determinations as the weather comes in later tonight,” Smith told The Epoch Times.
About five polling places would be affected by the potential power shutoffs, but not until after in-person voting is completed, according to Smith.
“All were provided with backup generators,” Smith said.
No vote tabulation centers are within the areas expected to be hit with power cuts, he noted.
“PG&E has been taking proactive measures to ensure the reliability of service to key election facilities and is working with state and local election officials in preparation for Tuesday’s elections,” the company said in a post on social media on Monday.
North to northeasterly wind gusts could reach 25 to 50 miles per hour in the region, particularly across the higher terrain of the Santa Cruz Mountains, East Bay Hills, North Bay Mountains, and portions of Napa and Sonoma counties.
According to the NWS, afternoon humidity is expected to fall between 15 and 25 percent in those areas during the day and 25 to 45 percent at night.
In Southern California, the same powerful winds are expected to sweep through the southern region of the state starting Tuesday.
NWS forecasters expect winds to gust up to 80 miles per hour, with isolated gusts reaching 100 miles per hour at higher elevations starting at 2 a.m. on Wednesday and lasting until 4 p.m. on Thursday.
“Peak gusts are generally in the 30 to 50 mph range across typical wind prone areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including the Malibu coast, except the Los Angeles County mountains where gusts of 50 to 70 mph are being observed,” the NWS said.
The winds could blow down trees and power lines and cause widespread power outages, according to the weather service. Travel will be difficult for high-profile vehicles.
As of late Monday morning, about three dozen Southern California Edison customers in Los Angeles County had their power shut off because of the threat of fire.
More than 35,600 customers in Los Angeles County and 8,100 in Orange County were warned about possible power shutoffs on Monday.
