PG&E reports more than 140 blackouts in Kern County

The power went out Monday and Tuesday morning in more than 140 areas around Kern County, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Inc. Most of the blackouts were attributed to weather.

As a result, a little less than 29,000 customers, most of them in Bakersfield, were without electricity for at some period in the 24 hours that ended about noon Tuesday, PG&E reported.

Company spokesman Jeff Smith said by email that dirt, salt and other substances accumulate on power lines after an extended period without rain.

"When the first most or rain arrives after a long dry spell, it turns the mixture into mud, which conducts electricity," he wrote. "This can damage electrical equipment and can potentially result in what's called electric flashovers."

"Electricity (finds) another track or an alternative path instead of the wire. And (that) causes power outages. Looks like that was the cause of most of the outages."

Smith noted 87 of the outages occurred within Bakersfield city limits.