PG&E warns of possible planned power shut-offs starting Monday

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has warned of possible planned power shut-offs to nearly 8,000 homes and businesses in Sonoma, Lake and Napa counties in anticipation of dry, gusty offshore winds starting Sunday.

The shut-offs could begin Monday morning, according to a PG&E news release. The two-day notifications via text, email and automated phone calls began Saturday and are being sent to 87 homes and businesses in Sonoma County, 4,094 in Lake County and 2,207 in Napa County.

The combination of wind, drought and extremely dry vegetation could increase fire risk, PG&E said.

The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for 11 p.m. Sunday through 5 p.m. Tuesday for the North Bay mountains, as well as the East Bay hills and valleys. North to northeast winds could exceed 60 mph, the weather service said in an announcement.

The utility is sending a total of 44,000 notices to 32 counties and seven tribes in California. People also can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shut-offs at pge.com/pspsupdates.

PG&E activated its Emergency Operations Center on Friday to monitor Bay Area weather conditions.

You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.com.