Strong Overnight Winds, PGE Starts Limited Power Restoration

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As expected, winds gusted up to and above 50 miles per hour on the highest peaks of the North Bay overnight, as a huge pressure gradient caused offshore winds and critically low humidity values. Here are the highest wind gusts overnight.

The 77mph gust reported on Mt. St. Helena was also the highest wind in the Bay Area. As pressures ease today, winds will diminish, but relative humidity values will continue critically dry, from the single digits to the teens across our region.

Meantime, PG&E announced they have begun limited power restoration to customers in their northern service areas including the Sierra foothills. As the winds decrease, PG&E says they will deploy 45 helicopters and more than 6000 personnel on the ground to check wires and transmission lines in an effort to restore power to the 800 thousand or more customers now in the dark from Shasta County to Santa Barbara.

The second and third phase of blackouts last evening cut power to more than 200 thousand additional customers in the Bay Area, from the East Bay to parts of the Peninsula and Santa Cruz county.

Wind Advisories and Red Flag Warnings remain up for the North Bay, for continuing offshore winds and dangerously low humidity through Thursday.