Update at 4:15 p.m.: PG&E reports that this potential PSPS could impact around 70,000 customers in 29 counties due to increased winds and dry conditions that could spark fires. Company spokesperson Jeff Smith tells Central Sierra Broadcasting, “The strongest winds are expected in the Sierra, southern Central Coast and portions of the North and East Bay. Given this wind event and current dry conditions, including extremely dry vegetation, PG&E sent one-day advance notifications Tuesday afternoon to customers in targeted areas where PG&E may need to proactively turn power off for safety to reduce the risk of wildfire from energized power lines.”
The utility provided these important notes about this PSPS event:
- Offshore Diablo winds will peak Thursday across the northern and central Sierra, as well as into portions of the North and East Bay.
- The Mono winds will be strongest on Friday in the southern Sierra, with Santa Ana winds also expanding into the southern Los Padres and across the Tehachapi’s on Friday.
- Strongest winds overall will be in the South, but RH will be in the single digits and teens across most areas. Same with very dry conditions in all areas.
- Even though this is a large event, new modeling tools have been implemented to allow for higher-resolution weather data, which allows us to be more surgical when scoping. For example, Machine Learning wind gust models at the weather station level help fill in the gaps of coarser-resolution traditional weather models. Sectionalizing is another big one.
Smith noted that Community Resource Centers (CRC) will be open during an outage, stating, “PG&E is currently sourcing CRCs and will share more information on locations within the counties once they have been confirmed.” He shared these centers offer ADA-accessible restrooms, device charging, Wi-Fi, blankets, air conditioning, bottled water, snacks, and other supplies. For more PSPS details, see below.
Update at 2:30 p.m.: PG&E spokesperson Jeff Smith updated Central Sierra Broadcasting with these current numbers of customers that might be affected (including the estimated medical baseline impacted):
- Tuolumne County: 1,835 customers
- Calaveras County: 8,957
- Mariposa County: 951
- Amador County: 53
Original post at 1:30 p.m.: Sonora, CA—A PG&E Public Safety Power Shut-off (PSPS) in the Mother Lode could result from a potential fire risk caused by high winds and dry conditions beginning tomorrow and lasting up to three days.
The counties included locally are Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, and Mariposa. The Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park, and the Calaveras Big Trees State Park area are also impacted. In Tuolumne County, the outage would affect unincorporated areas, including Cold Springs and Strawberry along Highway 108. In Calaveras County, the PSPS stretches along Highway 4 from Arnold to the county line and along Highway 26 from Glencoe to Wilseyville and around the West Point area, with small areas reaching just over the county line. In Mariposa County, potential outages are along Highway 120 in Buck Meadow to Yosemite and east and south to the Madera County line.
The utility reports that these shutoffs will start on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, between 9:45 and 11 p.m. and run until 11 a.m. Saturday, October 17, 2026. PG&E is expected to release more details this afternoon.
