Power Outages, Extreme Fire Danger: Santa Cruz Mountains

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning in effect for the Santa Cruz Mountains from 5 p.m. Wednesday through noon on Thursday.

North to northeast winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts of 35 to 45 mph are expected, while daytime humidity will be in the teens and as low as single digits by Thursday, according to the NWS. Very poor overnight humidity recoveries — only to 20 to 30 percent — are forecast Wednesday night.

The greatest fire threat will be in the highest ridges and peaks as well as southwest-facing slopes; the time period of greatest concern is Wednesday night, according to the NWS.

"Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly," the NWS stated.

PG&E has issued a Safety Alert stating that, "Gusty winds and dry conditions, combined with a heightened fire risk, are forecasted to begin Wednesday, October 9 ... ." The utility warns it may need to turn off power for safety.

An updated PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff Power map can be found here: https://pge.com/en_US/safety/emergency-preparedness/natural-disaster/wildfires/psps-service-impact-map.page

Possible Public Safety Power Shutoffs could begin as earlier as 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday and may last for several days, according to PG&E.

Residents and businesses are urged to take necessary preparedness steps to be without power for up to several days. For more information on how to prepare for a Public Safety Power Shutoff, go to PG&E's preparedness site www.pge.com/wildfiresafety.