Power outages affecting some Central CA residents, schools as storm hits

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Powerful wind gusts from a storm moving through the Valley on Monday are impacting the power grid.

Fresno County Outages

As of Monday afternoon, a handful of outages affecting dozens of customers were reported across Fresno County. Most of the outages were reported in Fresno and western Fresno County.

Early Monday morning, multiple Clovis Unified schools lost power. Classes continued during the outage, with students moving into rooms with better lighting. Power has since been restored.

The storm caused power lines to fall over a yard on the campus of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Clovis.

More than 500 PG&E customers were also without power in northeast Fresno north of Herndon Avenue and south of Friant between Cedar Avenue and Highway 41 early Monday morning.

Hundreds of residents and businesses in west Fresno and western Fresno County also lost power. Electricity has since been restored.

North Valley Outages

In the North Valley, scattered outages were reported in parts of Madera, Chowchilla and Merced.

The utility company's website said crews had responded to these outages. There is no estimated time for restoration.

South Valley Outages

Several other outages were reported in the South Valley, including at least 500 customers near Corcoran. There is no estimated time for restoration.

PG&E is using enhanced technology to detect outages caused by the storm.

The utility has set up 12 local storm response center which has been tracking the weather system for the last week.

The company says the technology is used to restore power quickly and minimize its impact on communities.

For the latest information on these outages, click here.