Windstorm, massive fires cause power outages for more than 200,000 LA County customers
The intense Santa Ana winds and a trio of large wildfires caused power outages for more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles County Tuesday night.
Ahead of the strong storm, officials predicted this weather will "likely be the most destructive windstorm seen since 2011." The last significant windstorm caused extensive damage to Pasadena and foothills in the San Gabriel Valley.
As of 12:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power had roughly 127,000 customers without power. Crews had restored utilities to 24,400 residents earlier in the day. For perspective, LADWP provides electricity to 1.5 million residences.
Southern California Edison, which provides electricity to LA County residents outside of city limits, reported that more than 52,000 customers without power as of midnight. The largest outage was centered in Duarte with 7,930 residents without electricity at around 10 p.m.
Ahead of the windstorm, SoCal Edison said it was considering public safety shutoff for roughly 409,000 Southern California residents, mainly in Riverside and Los Angeles counties. An estimated 123,400 and 113,735 customers were expected to be 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
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.
