Thousands of PG&E crews on standby amid major California storm

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- One the most powerful storms to hit California in recent years would be enough cause for concern.

The latest system to hit the state comes after a series of storms, piling on one weather worry after another.

From the North Valley to the South Valley, drivers have been warned of hazardous travel conditions and power problems.

"Coastal areas are going to be hit first, but as more rain comes Wednesday night, especially Thursday we can expect widespread outages pretty much to the northern two-thirds of our service area," said Paul Moreno, a PG&E spokesperson.

With limited access expected after Wednesday's storm, PG&E has partnered with other crews to help with restoration efforts, helping customers reconnect to the grid faster.

"We're gearing up, we're bringing mutual aid crews from Southern California Edison and other utilities to assist local crews so we can get the power up more quickly," said Moreno.

The storm is not expected to impact the Fresno area as much as northern portions of the state such as San Francisco and Sacramento, but precautions are still being taken.

The recent New Year's Eve storm affected nearly 500,000 customers who lost power, and with saturated soil that didn't have time to dry out- this storm could topple trees and power lines leading to more outages.

The rain isn't done yet, with January is shaping to be a wet month.

"We are also monitoring additional storms that could arrive this weekend and another two storms that could arrive next week," said Nancy Ward, director of Cal OES.

More than 3,000 PG&E employees are on standby to respond to any issues or outages that may arise from this storm.

PG&E is also being supported by more than a dozen crews from Southern California Edison.

Customers can view real-time outage information at PG&E's online outage map and search a specific address by city or by county.