Power outages reported as Central California welcomes wet weather

Saturday, December 14, 2024 8:49PM PT
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Central California is seeing the return of wet weather.

The National Weather Service in Hanford forecasting penny-sized hail in some parts of Coarsegold and Bass Lake in the mountain communities of Fresno County.

In the North Valley, windshield wipers helped commuters see through the ominous skies over Madera and brought showers to drivers in the Fresno are

Over in Gustine, a different scene, a rainbow spread across the sky following a morning of precipitation.

But that hope did not stretch into other parts of the Valley.



Impending weather impacting holiday festivities for those looking forward to attending the Winter Wonderland event at the Tulare County Fairgrounds Saturday.

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office canceled the event just after 2 p.m., citing safety concerns for the community ahead of tonight's weather.

And from cancellations to power outages.

PG&E posting this map showing exactly what areas were impacted by Saturday's power outage, including communities in Mariposa.

In Fresno County, some 500 customers impacted by the outage. That number more than doubling in Mariposa County where 1400 customers are without power.



"It's a case of getting out there, evaluating exactly what may have gone wrong whether it's a broken transformer or downed wire or whatever it might be and then, once we identify exactly what the problem is, then we'll have a better indication on how long it's going to take to repair that," PG&E spokesperson Jeff Smith said.

The electric company's website shares the following update:
"Crews are currently responding to emergencies due to storm damage. Once the extreme weather has passed, crews will begin repairs. We will provide you with an update as soon as we know more."

"Most of what we see, because we actually had quite heavy winds in some areas earlier today, it's trees and tree branches and vegetation getting intertwined with wires. Sometimes heavy winds can even knock wires down," Smith said.

In the meantime, PG&E shares these best practices for customers to keep in mind during inclement weather.

"If you see a downed wire stay away from it, assume that it's live," Smith said.



PG&E also recommending keeping a backup supply of batteries to power your flashlights, radios and other electronics.

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