SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) meteorologists are forecasting that another winter storm will bring more rain and snow to Northern California Tuesday morning through Wednesday afternoon.

Forecast models indicate that an atmospheric river-type storm will approach Central California on Tuesday, with showers increasing along the coast during the late morning hours and moderate to heavy rainfall increasing and spreading inland during the afternoon hours and continuing overnight. Snow levels will remain high with heavy snowfall possible in the southern Sierra. The brunt of the storm is expected to be felt on the Central Coast, where rainfall totals could near five inches in some of the coastal hills.

“Our crews are prepared to respond to this new storm that is expected to bring widespread rain to our service area,” said Tom Copriviza, a PG&E electric superintendent on the Central Coast. “We have a plan to restore power safely and as quickly as possible in areas where outages could occur and have crews, materials and resources strategically placed in those locations.”

PG&E’s meteorology team has developed a Storm Outage Prediction Model that incorporates real-time weather forecasts, historic data and system knowledge to accurately show where and when storm impacts will be most severe. This model enables the company to pre-stage crews and equipment as storms approach to enable rapid response to outages.

Safety reminders

• If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep yourself and others away. If you see damaged power lines or electrical equipment, call 911 immediately and then notify PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
• If a power line falls across a car that you're in, stay in the car. If you must get out of the car due to a fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground.
• During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of fire. If you must use candles, keep them away from drapes, lampshades and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
• Don't use grills or other outdoor appliances or equipment indoors for space heating or cooking, as these devices may emit carbon monoxide. Customers with generators should make sure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to crews working on power lines. Operate your generator outside. Never operate it inside a building or garage.
• If you experience an outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.
• Check and restock your emergency kits with flashlights, batteries, bottled water, non-perishable foods, medicines, etc. Also, ensure a portable, battery-operated radio, TV or NOAA radio is on hand.

Outage information

For more information about outages and ways to prepare and stay safe during the storm, please visit www.pge.com/stormsafety.

If outages occur, customers can find details and information on restoration by:

• Clicking onto www.pge.com/outages and signing up for outage alerts via text, email or phone
• Following PG&E on social media for updates
  • PG&E on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PGE4Me
  • PG&E on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pacificgasandelectric
• Calling PG&E’s outage information line at 1-800-743-5002.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 24,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.

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415.973.5930

Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company