Preparing for High Winds, Fire Risk

The recent drop in temperatures has made it feel like fall is finally here, but a strong round of wind arriving this week is a reminder that we haven't ghosted fire season just yet.

The National Weather Service has issued wind advisories for several counties in Southern California Edison's service area and warns of elevated fire danger.

From Thursday through Saturday, winds are forecast to reach up to 60 mph with isolated gusts up to 70 mph.

The winds combined with locally dry vegetation will increase the risk of wildfire, meaning Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) may be necessary to protect communities.

Currently,132,000 customers in Inyo, Mono, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Orange counties are under consideration for a potential PSPS. Right now, no customers are de-energized due to PSPS, but that can change as the weather intensifies.

To stay up to date on PSPS and wind-related repair outages, visit SCE's online interactive outage map at sce.com/outagemap. A list of community resources is available on the page.

"We understand that shutoffs significantly affect our customers' daily lives and create hardships within communities," said Aaron Smith, SCE director and PSPS incident commander. "Our top priority is the safety of customers, team members and communities, which is why we continue to use PSPS as a tool of last resort to keep our communities safe."

Should a shutoff be necessary, SCE will attempt to restore power to customers as fast as possible, when it is safe to do so. After the weather event ends, crews will inspect the lines to ensure nothing is damaged and determine if it is safe to re-energize the area. This means customers could be without power even after winds have ended until inspections are completed in their communities.

Outage and High Winds Safety Tips

• If you see a downed power line, do not touch it or anything in contact with it. Stay at least 100 feet away and call 911 immediately.
• Remember to secure any temporary structures in your backyard or business, including backyard furniture and tents, as well as patio equipment and covers used in commercial settings.
• For additional information visit Safety Tips for High Wind Conditions.

Background on PSPS:

• Customers can review their contact information and PSPS notifications online by logging into their SCE account. Non-customers can sign up for alerts by visiting sce.com/pspsalerts.
• To help plan for potential PSPS, visit sce.com/pspsweather. This page identifies counties in SCE's service area that could be affected by dangerous weather conditions up to seven days in advance.
• PSPS are a measure of last resort to protect communities from wildfire. SCE does not shut off power based only on weather forecasts, but rather, based on actual observed conditions.
• SCE uses 1,700 weather stations in the field for real time reporting and SCE crews actively patrol circuits before and during PSPS events to provide additional information regarding actual weather conditions.
• Before any PSPS event, SCE has plans in place to reduce the number of customers affected, and potentially move some customers from affected circuits. Customers who are being switched between circuits might experience a short outage of up to 10 minutes.
• Once a circuit is cleared for inspection, restoration times are typically up to eight hours. There could be delays if helicopter, drone, or foot patrols are needed or if damage is found. Some circuits can only be safely inspected in daylight and that may lead to additional delays.

For more information on PSPS decision-making, visit sce.com/psps.