Santa Ana windstorm could affect power for 409,000 Southern California residents
Hundreds of thousands of Southern California residents could have their power shut off as a powerful Santa Ana windstorm threatens to heighten the wildfire risk.
Southern California Edison, a major electricity provider in the region, is considering public safety power shutoff for 409,518 residents in six of the 15 counties it supplies power to. A public safety power shutoff is a temporary outage that happens during dangerous weather events. Power companies utilize the strategy to prevent the grid from sparking wildfires, especially during red flag conditions.
The most affected counties will be Riverside County and Los Angeles County with an estimated 123,400 and 113,735 customers affected in the respective areas. An additional 172,383 homes from Kern, Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura County could have their electricity turned off during the windstorm. Here is a breakdown of the possible outages for customers by county:
- Riverside County: 123,400
- Los Angeles County 113,735
- Ventura County: 89,023
- San Bernardino County: 67,237
- Orange County: 12,870
- Kern County 3,253
There were zero public safety power shutoffs on Monday, a day before the storm.
Meteorologists predict the storm could bring gusts as fast as 80 mph beginning midnight on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Until Friday, the strong winds could down power lines and topple trees.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power urged residents to avoid downed power lines if they encounter them during the storm.
Pasadena, one of the cities expected to be affected by the storm, restricted parking near the urban-wildland areas. Vehicles parked along the affected streets will be cited and towed. The city posted the restrictions on its website.
