PG&E restores power for most local customers as heat peaks, winds taper off; cooling trend set to begin Friday
Triple-digit temperatures and elevated wildfire danger prompted Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to shut off power to more than 1,100 customers in Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties Thursday, June 11, as the North Bay endured one of its hottest days of the year.
Most Sonoma County customers affected by the planned shutoffs had their power restored by Thursday afternoon, with PG&E reporting that 96% had electricity again by 1 p.m. The outages initially affected customers in Napa County, 241 customers in Sonoma County and about 100 customers in Lake County, according to the utility.
PG&E was still monitoring weather conditions in Napa County Thursday afternoon and 774 customers remained without power, mainly in the Calistoga and Moskowite Corner areas.
By 3 p.m., as temperatures soared across the region and people sought refuge from the heat, no major fires were reported. A small brush fire of about 3 acres was reported outside Hopland in Mendocino County but was quickly contained.
The Putah Fire, burning in Yolo and Solano counties, had charred 860 acres and was 60% contained as of early Thursday, according to fire officials.
A red flag warning that included parts of Sonoma and Napa counties was lifted Thursday morning after overnight winds, affecting higher elevation inland areas, abated. Top gusts in those mountain areas hit about 45 mph overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
A heat advisory for the region was set to end at 11 p.m. Thursday.
As of 2:30 p.m., highs had reached 98 degrees at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport north of Santa Rosa. Cloverdale topped out at 101 degrees and Healdsburg soared to 102. Closer to the coast, Sebastopol reached 94 degrees.
The high reached 97 degrees in Napa and 101 degrees in St. Helena.
Across the region, people tried their best to beat the heat.
“I couldn’t be outside a second longer,” Mirabel Lopez said as she shopped inside the Santa Rosa Plaza. “I needed some AC for real, this is crazy.”
Ava McCord thought she was accustomed to high temperatures having previously lived in New Mexico, but admitted the weather was getting to her as she walked through downtown Petaluma.
“I think I might go swimming later this afternoon, hopefully it’s not too busy,” she said, adding she normally stops by the Petaluma Swim Center on East Washington Street.
PG&E also opened community resource centers for impacted residents in Sonoma and Napa counties on Thursday.
Temperatures are expected to ease slightly Friday across the North Bay, though hot days will persist inland, according to the National Weather Service.
Santa Rosa is forecast to reach 87 degrees, with Cloverdale warming to 96 and Sebastopol hitting 84. The high is expected to hit 86 degrees in Napa and 93 in St. Helena.
Meteorologists said a gradual cooldown will continue into the weekend, with highs easing a few degrees each day across the region through Sunday.
You can reach Staff Writer Isabel Beer at isabel.beer@pressdemocrat.com.