https://www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/pge-power-outage-eta-where-when-will-come-back-14569935.php

By Alix Martichoux, SFGATE

Published 8:05 pm PDT, Monday, October 28, 2019

Here we go again.

Even before all the lights were turned back on around the Bay Area (and the rest of Northern California), PG&E was entering a third PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoff) in less than one month.

Pacific Gas & Electric announced this round of proactive power shut-offs would affect about 605,000 customers, or about 1.8 million people. (PG&E estimates an average of three individuals per "customer.") The shut-offs were scheduled to start rolling out Tuesday morning amid yet another Red Flag Warning.

The utility company hopes that by shutting off power during windy weather, it can prevent sparking more wildfires.

Customers in the following counties will be affected, according to PG&E: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.

You can use the map below, created by PG&E, to determine whether or not your power will turn off — or in some cases, stay off — Tuesday and Wednesday. If PG&E's site is down, the map may not show up. In case that happens, we've included maps of the Bay Area in the gallery at the top of this story.

(PG&E says the boundaries drawn in the map are approximate, and its address lookup tool should be the most accurate.)

The first customers to lose power Tuesday morning will be in the North Valley, North Bay and Sierra Foothills, followed by those in the southern Sierra foothills Tuesday afternoon, Kern County Tuesday evening, and the greater Bay Area early Wednesday morning.

The high winds are expected to pass by mid-day Wednesday, at which point PG&E will issue an "all clear." But even after that happens, the power doesn't come back immediately. PG&E workers must inspect thousands of miles of power lines to ensure there's no damage. That can take up to 48 hours. In cases where there is damage to power lines or other PG&E infrastructure, power can be out even longer.

Tuesday's PSPS is set to be smaller than the weekend's, which affected 940,000 customers. An additional 100,000 customers lost power during the weekend wind event due to unanticipated damage to PG&E power lines and infrastructure.

As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, PG&E said 325,000 of those customers have had power restored.

FULL PG&E SHUTOFF COVERAGE:

- How long does my food stay safe after the power goes out?

- Latest: PG&E contractor died in Humboldt during power shut-off

- PG&E shares crater again; Newsom asks Buffett to buy utility

- Here’s why PG&E doesn’t put more power lines underground

Alix Martichoux is an SFGATE digital editor. Read her latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.