Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, that it may cut electricity to approximately 70,000 customers across 29 California counties. The planned public safety power shutoffs are designed to mitigate severe wildfire risks driven by strong winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation across the state.
According to utility officials, this widespread preventive measure marks the largest public safety power shutoff event conducted by PG&E since 2021. The proactive measures arrive on the heels of a smaller interruption last weekend that impacted roughly 12,200 customers across 17 Northern California counties.
Weather Conditions Triggering the Outages
The National Weather Service and PG&E meteorologists have tracked dangerous offshore winds and critically low humidity levels moving through the region. The severe weather window is projected to last from late Wednesday, October 14, through Saturday, October 17, 2026.
PG&E spokesperson Paul Moreno emphasized the severity of the incoming climate conditions during a company briefing. “This is about 70,000 customers in scope, which is the largest public safety power shutoff event we’ve had since 2021. And this is due to very windy conditions, low humidity, and dry fuel conditions on the ground,” Moreno stated.
Meteorologists note that the strongest wind gusts will hit the Sierra Nevada, the southern Central Coast, and localized pockets of the North Bay and East Bay. Additional high-risk zones feature single-digit humidity metrics that dramatically elevate the possibility of electrical equipment sparking regional blazes.
Impacted Counties and Vulnerable Populations
Initially projected to impact roughly 30,000 customers across 22 counties on Monday night, utility officials rapidly doubled the operational footprint by Tuesday afternoon as weather forecasts worsened. The total scope now extends across 29 California counties, incorporating nearly 3,920 medical baseline customers who rely on uninterrupted home electricity for vital health equipment, alongside five regional tribal governments.
Hardest-Hit Regions
- San Luis Obispo County: ~10,460 customers
- Placer County: ~9,063 customers
- Calaveras County: ~8,550 customers
- El Dorado County: ~6,907 customers
- Shasta County: ~3,019 customers
- Santa Barbara County: ~1,100 customers
- Tehama County: ~835 customers
Impacted tribal jurisdictions include the Big Sandy Rancheria, Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians, Mooretown Rancheria, and North Fork Rancheria. While 5,700 customers originally flagged were later cleared from the outage zones, approximately 4,000 residents who experienced outages earlier in the week face potential repeat interruptions.
Technological Improvements and Grid Hardening
To minimize the friction of widespread blackouts, PG&E is leveraging advanced machine-learning models and high-resolution weather tracking. This technology offers localized wind-gust predictions, helping engineers isolate specific power distribution paths via sectionalizing equipment rather than shutting down entire regional grids unnecessarily.
These emergency protocols complement the utility’s broader, long-term wildfire mitigation blueprint. The initiative incorporates undergrounding 10,000 miles of power lines, strengthening wooden utility poles with composite materials, installing covered conductors, and tweaking automated circuit breaker settings to reduce ignition potentials.
Community Support and Resources
As communities brace for the multi-day blackout, PG&E has initiated outreach campaigns, notifying affected households and businesses via automated calls, texts, and emails. Residents can verify if their specific property falls inside the active shutoff zones by checking addresses at the official portal, pge.com/pspsupdates.
For individuals facing temporary power disruptions, the utility is opening physical Community Resource Centers across affected regions. These facilities provide drinking water, device-charging stations, backup restroom facilities, and climate-controlled seating for vulnerable populations.
“Once the dangerous weather passes, crews will need to inspect power lines before electricity can be restored safely,”
utility representatives noted, reminding citizens to stay clear of downed power lines and report hazards immediately by calling emergency services.
