PG&E may shut off power to about 500 Bay Area homes Saturday

The Public Safety Power Shutoff aims to help prevent wildfires during a forecasted wind event.

PG&E may shut off the power for some East Bay residents as a precaution to prevent wildfires during a potential high-wind event forecast for Saturday, the utility said Friday.

The power shutoffs will impact less than 500 customers in the Bay Area — all in the far east areas of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, according to a news release. The potential shutoff would begin around 11 a.m. Saturday. PG&E plans to begin patrols and restoring power as early as Saturday evening, the company said.

The shutoff will affect a total of 16,000 customers across seven counties, with the largest impact on San Joaquin County and Stanislaus County, the utility said.

Operations professionals and meteorologists were monitoring the wind event on Friday, PG&E said. Combined with low humidity and dry vegetation, the wind event and other weather conditions may require the company to shut off energized power lines to reduce the risk of wildfires, the release said.

Impacted customers were alerted via text, email and automated phone call, the company said.

RELATED: How to see if power will go out in your neighborhood due to wildfire danger

To check whether you are in an affected area, customers can sign up for PSPS alerts to notify you if a power shutoff will affect your neighborhood. PG&E also tracks these shutoffs on its website, allowing customers to input their address to check if their location will be impacted or view a map of affected neighborhoods.

PG&E’s meteorologists will continue to monitor conditions and the company will provide updates as necessary, the press release said.