The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for numerous Northern California counties, including Mendocino, Shasta and Trinity Counties.

As a result, PG&E says it will cut power to 21,000 customers at 5 p.m. in Butte, Nevada and Yuba Counties as part of its Public Safety Power Shutoff program — implemented to reduce the number of wildfires sparked by downed power lines.

The Red Flag Warning will remain in effect until Wednesday morning due to dry, warm weather and strong northeasterly winds.

“Of particular concern will be the ridgelines in Mendocino, Lake, and extreme southern Trinity counties where overnight relative humidity recoveries will be poor,” Eureka’s NWS office stated. “This will result in an increased wildfire threat Monday and Tuesday nights at elevations over 1,500 feet.”

No Red Flag Warnings have been issued for Humboldt or Del Norte Counties, thanks to the amount of rainfall we’ve received in the last week.

Read more in the PG&E press release below:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) confirmed that it will implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) affecting about 21,000 customers in three counties across Northern California today. Those areas include portions of Butte, Nevada and Yuba counties in the Sierra foothills. PG&E opened its Emergency Operations Center in San Francisco on Saturday, Sept. 21, and has been monitoring the weather and the evolving situation. PG&E’s meteorological team continues to monitor weather forecasts hourly, and the company has hundreds of personnel ready to respond for inspections, repairs and restoration once the weather subsides.
 
Based on the current forecast, the PSPS impact footprint has been reduced to 21,000 in three counties in the Sierra foothills from an original forecast of 124,000 in nine counties in the Sierra foothills and the North Bay. No customers in the North Bay are expected to be affected by Monday’s PSPS, nor are customers in El Dorado, Placer and Sutter counties expected to be affected tonight.
 
PG&E will continue to monitor weather throughout the affected area and may take additional actions as necessary to keep customers and communities safe.
 
Late Monday Afternoon (Sept. 23) Event
At approximately 5 p.m. today, PG&E expects to start turning off the power for safety to 21,000 customers in advance of windy, dry conditions forecasted to begin around sundown. It will take several hours to turn off customers in the affected footprint.
 
Elevated weather conditions, including potential fire risk, are forecasted to begin around 8 p.m. tonight, with peak fire risk forecasted to last until 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
 
This PSPS is expected to affect about 21,000 customers in the three counties.
 
Customer impacts may include:
 
County
Customer Count
Cities Including
Butte
9,117
Bangor, Berry Creek, Brush Creek, Feather Falls, Forbestown, Hurleton, Oroville, Palermo, Rackerby
Nevada
7,247
Grass Valley, Nevada City, Penn Valley, Rough and Ready
Yuba
4,833
Bangor, Browns Valley, Brownsville, Camptonville, Challenge, Dobbins, Forbestown, Loma Rica, Marysville, Oregon House, Rackerby, Smartville

Community Resource Centers

To support customers in the potentially affected counties, PG&E will open Community Resource Centers in multiple locations on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 8 a.m. The centers will be open during daylight hours only and will provide restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and air-conditioned seating for up to 100 customers each. The centers are located at:
 
Sierra College Grass Valley Campus
213 and 250 Sierra College Drive
Grass Valley, CA 95945
 
14144 Lakeridge Circle
Magalia, CA 95954
 
Harrison Stadium parking lot
1674 3rd Avenue
Oroville, CA 95965
 
Oregon House
9185 Marysville Road
Oregon House, CA 95935
Tuesday Evening (Sept. 24) Event
 
PG&E is also tracking a similar weather event in the same general nine-county region in the Sierra foothills and the North Bay for Tuesday evening, Sept. 24.
 
Elevated weather conditions, including potential fire risk, are forecasted to begin around 7 p.m. Tuesday evening, Sept. 24, with peak fire risk forecasted to last until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
 
PG&E will make a final decision on whether to initiate a second Public Safety Power Shutoff event late Tuesday morning. If a PSPS proceeds in these counties, it is anticipated to take place during the late afternoon or evening hours on Tuesday.
 
Once the weather subsides, and conditions are safe to do so, PG&E crews will conduct safety inspections, complete any needed repairs and begin restoration.
 
General Updates
 
PG&E provided early warning notification of the Public Safety Power Shutoff and will share updates until power is restored. Out of an abundance of caution, PG&E began providing notice to customers before this safety event through automated phone calls, texts, social media and emails on Saturday, Sept. 21. 
 
As part of these preparedness efforts, PG&E has asked customers to: 
 
Stay informed on the latest Public Safety Power Shutoff updates at www.pge.com/pspsupdates. Customers also can enter their address and find out if their home or business is served by an electric line that may be affected by this event. 
 
Update their contact information at www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743-6589 during normal business hours. PG&E will use this information to alert customers when and where possible before turning off electric service for safety. 
 
Prepare for and practice an emergency plan to keep themselves and their families emergency-ready and safe during an outage. Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children and pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are available at www.pge.com/psps.