PG&E installs more than 200 new weather stations to better monitor severe weather events

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has installed more than 200 new weather stations this year, which the company said will help it better prepare for severe weather events and narrow the extent of Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events.

The company, which serves more than 16 million people across Northern and Central California, plans to have a total of 1,300 weather stations by the end of 2021. This would give the company one weather station for every 20-line miles of electric distribution circuits within Tier 2 and Tier 3 High Fire-Threat Districts.

Data captured by the weather stations such as temperature, wind speed and humidity levels will help the company evaluate where severe weather may be headed and inform operational planning.

“Observations from the weather stations contribute to the improvement of our predictive capabilities for PSPS events. We now have a historical database of these observations, many in remote areas where we have never had this level of detailed data before, and it is now used to help fine-tune our models to better predict when critical fire weather conditions may occur,” Ashley Helmetag, senior meteorologist at PG&E, said. “As the model is improved, the forecast becomes more accurate, allowing meteorologists to limit the scope of PSPS events to the areas where the riskiest fire weather conditions are expected, and to do so with higher confidence.”

During a PSPS event, PG&E turns off specific power lines, based on severe weather conditions, for public safety. This is to prevent tree branches and other debris from contacting energized power lines.

The new weather stations are sending hyperlocal data to PG&E meteorologists as well as analysts and experts in PG&E’s Wildfire Safety Operations Center, where PG&E detects, evaluates, monitors, and responds to wildfire threats.

“We know that losing power disrupts lives, especially for our customers with medical needs. That is why we are finding ways to reduce the impact of PSPS events without compromising safety. The sole focus of a PSPS is to keep our customers safe,” Mark Quinlan, vice president of PSPS operations and execution at PG&E, said.