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A “life-threatening and destructive” windstorm is forecast to last through at least Thursday, bringing with it severe fire danger and widespread power outages across Southern California.
This is the third time in as many months that strong Santa Ana winds have prompted Southern California Edison to cut power to its customers.
The map below shows which areas are currently without electricity due to planned power shutoffs — aimed at reducing fire starts from electrical equipment — and which are under consideration for power cuts.
Without power
Under consideration for shutoff
Data current as of Jan. 17, 8:07 p.m.
As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 183,000 customers in Southern California were without power from public safety power shutoffs, according to an update from Southern California Edison.
But even more, over 230,000, were without power due to unplanned outages caused by the historic windstorm, the utility said. Those outages, however, are not represented in The Times’ map.
In total, more than 413,000 Southern California Edison customers were without power late Wednesday.
“Given the unsafe conditions for electric power restorations, customers may experience several days of outages,” the utility said in a statement. “SCE will restore service as soon as it is safe to do so.”
An additional 450,000 customers were under consideration for additional safety shutoffs, utility officials said.
The map on Edison’s website is updated in near-real time, though a spokesman said significant events could result in some delays. The utility encourages customers to enter their address for more information about their outage, such as the duration of increased fire risk.
Elsewhere in Southern California, power had also been cut across more than two dozen communities in San Diego County, affecting almost 9,000 customers, according to San Diego Gas and Electric’s power outage map. An additional 69,000 or so customers may also be affected by more power outages.
The outages are expected to last through late Friday afternoon.
Public safety power shutoffs are aimed at mitigating threats, often in areas where its equipment could be at high risk of sparking a wildfire. The utility’s meteorological teams use their own weather models and government data to weigh possible shutoffs. They monitor not only wind speeds and gusts, but the presence of windblown debris and vegetation dryness, using hundreds of weather stations and sensors.
Parts of Southern California will be slammed with destructive winds leading to possible power outages and elevating the possibility of wildfires. How to prepare for blackouts
“We always try to turn off power in the most localized way possible,” Jeff Monford, a spokesperson for Southern California Edison, said. “We know that this is not just an inconvenience. We know these outages are actual hardships, and turning off the power really is the measure of last resort.”
Although Edison tries to give customers notice of a shutoff three days in advance, that is not always possible, Monford said.
“This is a phenomenon of the increasing effects of climate change on weather. We have more weather extremes that can change more quickly than we might be accustomed to,” he said.
If you see a downed power line, Monford added, assume it is live, stay at least 100 feet away and call 911.
Times staff writer Ruben Vives and Grace Toohey contributed to this report.
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