Power Shutoffs Possible in Colusa County as Hot, Windy Weather Arrives

An early-season offshore wind event is expected to elevate wildfire risks across Northern California this week, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning for the Sacramento Valley starting Wednesday morning. The warning also covers elevated fire dangers in much of the North Bay, including Colusa County, as winds from the north and northeast are forecast to arrive Wednesday evening and persist into Thursday.

Gusts of 30 to 45 miles per hour are expected in parts of Northern California, with Sonoma and Napa counties seeing peak gusts around 25 miles per hour, though higher elevations could experience stronger winds. Critically dry conditions combined with these gusty winds create heightened fire weather concerns, particularly in the North Bay Interior Mountains.

In response, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has issued a seven-day Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) forecast indicating that shutoffs are possible Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday across eight Northern California counties: Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, and Yolo. Customers in Colusa County and other affected areas may receive notifications later today or on Tuesday regarding specific addresses that could lose power.

PG&E has been conducting these targeted shutoffs since 2019, following the deadly Camp Fire in November 2018, as a preventive measure to reduce wildfire ignition risks from power lines during extreme weather. This year has already seen one PSPS event in mid-May, which affected approximately 4,700 customers across 15 counties.

Typically, these shutoffs coincide with offshore wind events like the Diablo winds and occur later in summer or fall, when dry ground conditions and fire risk are highest. However, this early-season event underscores the ongoing threat of wildfires in the region.