Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) warned on Friday it may cut power from Sunday morning to Monday, potentially affecting 97,000 customers in 16 counties, according to the Associated Press.
Originally, the utility was looking at the possibility of cutting power to 21,000 customers in three counties, but after the revised weather forecast was issued, PG&E expanded the shutoff scenario. The utility is closing tracking the weather to determine if wind gusts could damage the company’s equipment or hurl debris into lines that can ignite flammable vegetation.
PG&E continues to monitor a potentially strong and dry offshore wind event forecasted to start early Sunday morning and expected to last through Monday. To see if you may be impacted visit pic.twitter.com/1oH4wF35GT
— PG&E (@PGE4Me) September 26, 2020
Firefighters battling the August Complex wildfire, the state’s largest, constructed fuel breaks on Friday in preparation for the expected strong winds that could drive the fire toward a marijuana-growing enclave where authorities said many of the locals have refused to evacuate and abandon their maturing crops.
The August Complex Fire, which started August 16, is nearing the small communities of Post Mountain and Trinity Pines, about 200 miles northwest of Sacramento. As of September 25, the fire has burned 867,335 acres and is 43 percent contained.
Additionally, CBS News is reporting the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region announced Friday it is extending the closure of all nine national forests in California due to concerns including fire conditions and critical limitations on firefighting resources.
Hey, slow you're scroll Yep, you reading this, you're gonna wanna check this out! Coolest day of the next week is today before it gets all hot and nasty again. Another reason 2021 can't come soon enough! #cawx #GetOutsideDay #sickoftheheat pic.twitter.com/xUa82cAhMH
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) September 26, 2020
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning – tweeting that the heatwave will impact Southern California beginning on Sunday with the hottest conditions Monday-Wednesday. They also warn that the hot, dry air will increase the fire weather risk, especially on Monday when east winds will be most gusty.