PSPS Wind Update 331 0 Kommentare Wind Gusts in Nearly Two Dozen Counties Reached Above 40 MPH; in 15 Counties, Wind Gusts Topped 50 MPH - Seite 2

Quoted on sfgate.com, Craig Clements, director of the Fire Weather Research Laboratory at San Jose State said: "Nailing that [a wind event] with a weather forecast model is very difficult. I still think it's prudent to turn off the power. It's what we need to do."

In conjunction with PG&E’s meteorological team, the company’s Wildfire Safety Operations Center team monitors conditions across our system and evaluates whether to proactively turn off electric power lines, in the interest of public safety, if heightened fire danger conditions are forecasted.

Each situation is unique, and no single factor drives a Public Safety Power Shutoff. PG&E carefully reviews a combination of many criteria when determining if power should be turned off for safety. These factors generally include, but are not limited to:

A Red Flag Warning declared by the National Weather Service
Low humidity levels, generally 20 percent and below
Forecasted sustained winds generally above 25 mph and wind gusts in excess of approximately 45 mph, depending on location and site-specific conditions such as temperature, terrain and local climate
Condition of dry fuel on the ground and live vegetation (moisture content)
On-the-ground, real-time observations from PG&E’s Wildfire Safety Operations Center and observations from PG&E field crews.

It is very possible that customers were affected by a power shutoff even though they were not experiencing severe weather conditions in their specific location. That’s because the electric system relies on power lines working together to provide electricity across regions, counties and cities.

PG&E’s weather website, www.pge.com/weather, offers insight into the seven-day-ahead forecast for a potential PSPS. The site includes live feeds from nearly 600 weather stations and approximately 100 high-definition cameras.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com and www.pge.com/news.