With Forecast Predicting Strong Winds on Sunday and Monday, PG&E Urges Customers to be Safe

Company Shares Tips in Case Outages Occur

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) meteorologists are forecasting strong winds Sunday and into Monday throughout much of Northern and Central California. PG&E is urging its customers to take the necessary steps to be prepared and stay safe.

A weather system moving through PG&E’s service area will produce a chance for light precipitation early Sunday into Monday for primarily the central and southern Sierra and southern San Joaquin Valley; most locations will remain dry this weekend.

In the wake of the passage of weather system, strong gusty north or northeast winds are expected by early Sunday and into Monday for the northern half of the territory with widespread 30-45 mph gusts and stronger gusts of 50-70 mph over the elevated terrain and Sierra.

Winds on Monday will remain breezy to gusty, but not as strong as Sunday, with winds expected to decrease Monday afternoon and night.

To be clear, PG&E will not be calling a Public Safety Power Shutoff as fuel and soil moisture values remain high due to winter season precipitation.

PG&E has electric and vegetation crews on alert and in position to be able to respond should outages occur.

Storm Safety Tips:

• Drive safely: When you’re behind the wheel, look out for fallen limbs and other debris in the roadways.
• Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 911 and by calling PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
• Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of fire. If you must use candles, please keep them away from drapes, lampshades, animals and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
• Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready as a backup.
• Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent foods from spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works well in the freezer.
• Secure outdoor furniture: Deck furniture, lightweight yard structures and decorative lawn items should be secured as they can be blown by high winds and damage overhead power lines and property.
• Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric generators should make sure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to customers, as well as crews working on power lines. If using portable generators, be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.
• Turn off appliances: If you experience an outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.
• Safely clean up: After the storm has passed, be sure to safely clean up. Never touch downed wires and always call 811 or visit 811express.com at least two full business days before digging to have all underground utilities safely marked.

Other tips can be found at pge.com/beprepared

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.