The lights could go out across parts of Sonoma County tonight — on purpose. County emergency officials say a PG&E public safety power shutoff is likely from this evening into Thursday, timed to a red flag warning that settles over the North Bay mountains at 11 p.m.
Key takeaways
- A red flag warning covers the North Bay interior mountains from 11 p.m. Wednesday to 9 a.m. Thursday, with ridge gusts past 60 mph and humidity near 12%.
- Sonoma County says a PG&E shutoff is likely; the utility has flagged eight counties, including Sonoma, Napa and Lake, but no customer count yet.
- Community resource centers are set for First Congregational Church in Sonoma and the Petaluma fairgrounds.
- Southeast Lake County — Clearlake, Middletown, Cobb and Mount Konocti — is under its own red flag warning, and a limited shutoff there was expected to begin Wednesday, per Lake County News.
- Medical baseline customers can call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000; the Disability Services & Legal Center lends 48-hour backup batteries.
Winds past 60 mph on the ridges
The National Weather Service issued the warning early Wednesday for the North Bay interior mountains and the East Bay hills. Forecasters expect northwest winds of 10 to 20 mph, gusts to 45 mph and ridge-top gusts past 60 mph, with humidity sinking as low as 12%. The warning doesn’t hedge: “Extreme fire behavior and rapid rates of spread likely on new and existing wildfires,” it reads, along with “an increased risk for power outages.”
That last line is the part most residents will feel. PG&E began telling customers Monday it was watching the wind event for a possible shutoff in eight counties — Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Yolo, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter and Tehama — sometime between Wednesday and Friday. As of Wednesday morning the utility had not said how many customers would lose power, though its own shutoff forecast page listed all eight counties under a PSPS watch through midday Thursday.
Where the lights go out first
Where the power goes out first is usually telegraphed by where the help gets staged, and Sonoma County has already named two community resource centers: First Congregational Church at 252 W. Spain St. in Sonoma, and the Petaluma fairgrounds at 175 Fairgrounds Drive. The city of Sonoma warned separately that portions of Sonoma Valley may sit inside the shutoff footprint. The centers offer device charging, Wi-Fi and a place to keep medical equipment running while the grid is dark.
Lake County: Cobb and Konocti under the same flag
Lake County is under its own red flag warning for the same overnight window, covering the county’s southeast corner — Clearlake, Middletown, Cobb and the flanks of Mount Konocti. Forecasters at the weather service’s Eureka office expect north to northeast winds of 15 to 30 mph with ridge gusts to 40 mph, blowing across terrain that burned to the foundations in the 2015 Valley Fire. There, the shutoff is no longer hypothetical: a limited shutoff in Lake County was expected to begin Wednesday, Lake County News reported. No red flag warning was in effect for Mendocino County as of Wednesday morning.
CAL FIRE’s local crews are already committed
The wind arrives with CAL FIRE’s local hands already full. The agency’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit is running the Putah Fire — which began as the unit’s own prescribed burn. It has burned 869 acres along Highway 128 west of Winters since Monday and stood at 30% containment early Wednesday. A separate set of red flag warnings covers the hills on the fire’s doorstep — the Capay Hills of Yolo County and the Vaca Hills of Solano County — from 11 a.m. Wednesday through 5 p.m. Thursday.
If you depend on power for medical equipment
The county’s advice is to plan tonight, not at midnight. PG&E medical baseline customers can call the utility at 1-800-743-5000. The Disability Services & Legal Center provides backup batteries that run about 48 hours, along with other help for seniors and people with disabilities on Medi-Cal; the contact is Juan Orantes at (707) 636-3065 or jorantes@mydslc.org.
A few practical notes from county emergency managers: public water and sewer systems run on backup generators and should ride out a shutoff, but homes on private wells or septic pumps will lose water pressure with the power. Refrigerated medications need a cold plan. And restoration is not a light switch — PG&E inspects every de-energized line by helicopter and ground crew before turning it back on, which in most cases means power returns within 12 daylight hours after the weather passes.
Residents can check whether their address is in scope at PG&E’s outage map, sign up for SoCoAlert and Nixle notices at socoemergency.org, and look up their evacuation zone — Rohnert Park’s public safety department spent Tuesday reminding people to do exactly that.
The warning expires at 9 a.m. Thursday. Whether the power is back by then is PG&E’s call — and it’s the inspection crews, not the wind, that set that clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my power go out tonight?
If you live in or near the hills of Sonoma, Napa or Lake counties, it’s possible. PG&E says shutoffs could run Wednesday through Friday but hasn’t published a customer count. Check your address on PG&E’s outage map and make sure the utility has your current phone number — it sends alerts at 48 hours, 24 hours and just before de-energizing.
How long would the outage last?
The red flag warning ends at 9 a.m. Thursday, but power doesn’t come back until PG&E inspects its lines by air and ground. In most past events that has meant restoration within about 12 daylight hours after the weather passes.
Where can I charge a phone or medical device during a shutoff?
Sonoma County has named two community resource centers: First Congregational Church, 252 W. Spain St. in Sonoma, and the Petaluma fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive. Both offer charging, Wi-Fi and air conditioning. Dialing 211 also works for local help, including transportation and food options.