About 600 residents and businesses in the Kern County community of Lebec have been impacted by Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) twice in the past week, and weather forecast models indicate breezier to gusty offshore winds that may prompt an additional PSPS event later this week. Why do the same PG&E customers in Kern County keep getting impacted by PSPS events?
According to PG&E meteorologist Evan Duffey, it comes down to a few simple factors, primarily the lack of rain and where the wind has come from.
“It hasn’t rained,” says Duffey. For many areas in the Kern County mountains near the Grapevine, rain totals are between 5 and 25% of normal. There has been no rain since the start of 2025, drying out grass and other vegetation.
The recent wind events have been blowing from the Great Basin in Nevada, pushing offshore winds into Southern California and the Tehachapi Mountains. Each offshore wind event compounds the situation, further drying the fuels in the area.
Duffey says the situation will improve either when it rains or when the offshore pattern of Santa Ana winds subsides.
As a reminder, PG&E uses a PSPS as a tool of last resort when severe weather is likely to result in conditions where an ignition potentially can turn into a catastrophic wildfire. In other words, when the weather forecast is so severe that people’s safety, lives, homes and businesses may be in danger of wildfires.
As each weather situation is unique, PG&E’s in-house meteorologists rely on their own data and expertise as well as that of the National Weather Service and other agencies. A combination of factors is thoroughly reviewed when deciding if power must be turned off.
These factors include:
- · Low humidity levels, below 30%.
- A forecast of high winds, particularly sustained winds above 19 miles per hour.
- Condition of dry material on the ground and low moisture content of vegetation.
- Real-time ground observations from our Hazard Awareness and Warning Center, as well as our Safety & Infrastructure Protection Team crews working across the service area.
- Our decision-making process also accounts for the various alerts and warnings issued by the National Weather Service, the presence of trees tall enough to strike power lines and other factors.
Since PG&E initiated its first PSPS in 2018, we have continued to make improvements by:
- · Refining existing artificial intelligence and machine-learning models to precisely target PSPS in areas experiencing severe weather.
- Expanding the use of microgrids that can power critical services, even when there is an outage.
- Enhancing safety patrols that check for damage, which helps get the power back on faster.
- Using sectionalizing devices to limit the number of customers who lose power during PSPS outages.
These updates have minimized the number of PSPS outages and impacted customers. For example, in 2019, PG&E had nine PSPS events, impacting over 2 million customers and in 2024, we had three PSPS events impacting about 50,000 customers.
Does any of this provide relief to our customers who have lost power multiple times this month due to weather-drive PSPS events? No, but the reason this is happening is clear.
“PG&E will not take any chances with customer safety,” said Mark Quinlan, PG&E’s senior vice president of Wildfire, Emergency and Operations. “The sole focus of a PSPS is to keep our customers safe.”
Other investor-owned utilities are also utilizing PSPS to protect their customers. As of late Tuesday morning, Southern California Edison had about 57,000 customers de-energized and another 256,000 still being considered for a PSPS. And San Diego Gas & Electric had about 14,000 customers out on PSPS outages with another 69,000 customers still facing a potential PSPS.
PG&E knows that losing power disrupts lives, especially for those who rely on power for medical devices or medications. That is why PG&E partners with community-based organizations to provide portable batteries and hotel stays to a variety of populations, including low-income, older adults, individuals with disabilities or those who rely on power for certain medical needs. The company also opens Community Resource Centers to provide wi-fi, device charging, water, snacks and more. The locations and resources available at each center can be found at www.pge.com/crc.