Critical fire weather arrives in Northern California; PG&E to restore power after targeted outages
Gusty winds and low humidity have brought a high risk of wildfires to the interior of Northern California SAN FRANCISCO -- Gusty winds and low humidity brought a high risk of wildfires to the interior of Northern California on Wednesday, and a utility proactively cut electricity to about 8,400 customers to prevent potential ignitions in the blustery conditions. Red flag warnings for critical fire danger were in effect until 8 p.m. in much of the Sacramento Valley and adjacent areas to the west, the National Weather Service said. Pacific Gas & Electric said that shortly before 2 a.m., it began public safety power shutoffs in “targeted high-fire-threat areas” of eight counties. Winds calmed throughout the afternoon, and by 5 p.m. the utility issued a weather “all-clear,” saying it would begin the process of restoring electricity. The gusty northerly winds were generated in the wake of a trough of low pressure that moved through Northern California on Tuesday, the weather service sa...