Petaluma Under Red Flag Warning; PSPS Impacts Parts Of North Bay
PETALUMA, CA — Petalumans were urged to be vigilant as much of Sonoma County headed into red-flag conditions.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Sonoma County and most of the North Bay from 11 p.m. Thursday to 11 p.m. Saturday because of low relative humidity and gusty northerly winds.
"Peak winds are expected overnight tonight into Friday morning for the North Bay and Bay Area," the National Weather Service said. "Most areas across the region will be affected to some degree, with likely exceptions being the immediate Big Sur coast and the Marin/Sonoma coast. Winds largely on the order of 25-35 mph can be expected with gusts to 50 mph, isolated gusts to 65 mph across the highest terrain and ridgetops, most notably the North Bay Interior Mountains and the Diablo Range."
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. warned that some in Sonoma County may also experience a public safety power shutoff. It could affect approximately 20,000 customers, including 1,010 Sonoma County customers and another 23 Sonoma County customers considered medical baseline.
Customers can check their address online at pge.com/pspsupdates to see if their location is being monitored for a potential safety shutoff.
Red Flag Warning
When a red flag warning is in place, fire danger increases due to warm temperatures, very low humidity, and strong winds. The following activities are strongly discouraged when a red flag warning has been issued:
- Never mow or trim dry grass during a red flag warning because a power tool could spark on a rock and start a grass fire. It is not recommended even on windy, dry, hot days.
- No wood or charcoal campfires in forests during periods of high fire danger.
- Thoroughly extinguish all cigarettes and smoking material.
- Don't pull your vehicle over in the grass, as it can spark a grass fire. If necessary, pull over on paved roads.
- Use spark arrestors on portable gasoline-powered equipment to avoid an accidental fire.
- Properly maintain vehicles to prevent roadside fires caused by sparks or flammable materials spit out from the catalytic converter system.
- Ensure trailer chains don't drag on the ground and spark.
- Shooting of firearms is unsafe during periods of high fire hazards.
- Use extreme caution with welding or blowtorch projects.
- Burning plant cuttings on high fire danger days is unsafe.
Public Safety Power Shutoff
As of 8 p.m. Thursday, the PG&E PSPS website showed that power was proactively turned off in parts of the North Bay, in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Given the forecasted strong northerly winds — up to 70 mph in some areas — and current dry vegetation conditions, PG&E said, advanced notifications were sent to customers via text, email, and automated phone call in targeted areas where power may need to be proactively shut off for safety to reduce wildfire risk.
PG&E said the duration and extent of a PSPS depend on the weather in each area. Further, not all customers are affected for the entire period.
PG&E planned to open dozens of Community Resource Centers in the impacted counties to support customers. See a complete list of CRCs.
