California warned of more blackouts with dry winds raising wildfire threat

Bloomberg

Almost two weeks after 2.3 million people in California suffered through forced blackouts, the state’s utilities are warning they may have to cut power again with dry, gusting winds raising the threat of wildfires.
At risk is supply to thousands who live and work in the mountains and valleys north of Los Angeles. A handful have already lost power, and Edison International said on its website that the number could rise to 17,283. PG&E Corp, meanwhile, said in a statement it is monitoring conditions across Northern California that could lead to outages there.
High winds and low humidity have created critical conditions north and east of Los Angeles, and across an area centered on Sacramento, according to the US Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. A wider area stretching to the border with Mexico faces a less severe elevated risk through Tuesday.
“The general pattern persists for most of the week, so they could be under the gun for potential fire issues going forward,” said Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.
Inside the high-risk area is the ongoing Saddle Ridge Fire, which has been burning for more than a week and has consumed almost 9,000 acres (3,642 hectares), according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection.
It is about 83% contained, Cal Fire reported.
Almost two weeks ago, PG&E which serves northern and central California, blacked out 738,000 homes and businesses in an attempt to cut fire risk, prompting harsh criticism from customers and state politicians. At the time Edison also cut power to about 24,000 in its operating area.