Power Shutoffs In Malibu Due To Wind, Fire Warnings

MALIBU, CA — Along with most of Los Angeles County and much of California, Malibu has been placed under both a Red Flag Warning, a Wind Advisory, and a High Surf Advisory, as 30-mile-an hour winds whip through the city. A portion of Malibu, from Pacific Coast Highway to Latigo Canyon Road and Murphy Mountainway are without power as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. The area from Point Dume, all the way up to Latigo Canyon Road and Ramirez Canyon Park, as well as mountainous areas around Malibu Canyon Road, and Malibu Canyon Park, are all under consideration for shutoffs. See a map of affected areas here.

The shutoffs are expected to last until Wednesday at 12, or whenever the winds die down.

"We fully realize that PSPS events significantly impact our customer's daily lives and create hardships on our customers and communities – a burden that is even more consequential with so many customers working and learning from home," SCE spokesperson Julia Roether wrote in an email. "Some customers are facing multiple continual high wind days as winds are expected to continue into next week. While extended outages are possible, we will make every effort to temporarily restore power to affected customers (even for a short period of time) as breaks in the weather conditions permit and it is safe to reenergize."

SCE said that it notified all affected customers on their cell phones 48 hours in advance. The city released a statement with tips for staying safe during a shutoff, including keeping battery-operated flashlights and cash on-hand, filling up car with gas, beforehand, keeping refrigerators closed and buying ice to keep them cool, throwing away food exposed to temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours, and discarding any medication that must be refrigerated. For a full list of tips, see a release from the city of Malibu, and tips from SCE.

The Red Flag Warning, the second in a week, is in effect until 10 p.m. Tuesday, while the Wind Warning will last until 4 a.m. Wednesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 30-mph northeasterly winds are whipping through the city. Gusts are expected to be as high as 40 miles an hour Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service, and they won't let up much Wednesday: NWS forecasts predict gusts as high as 25 mph throughout Wednesday, while slowing down to 10 mph Thursday.

Valleys in Ventura County have reported gusts of 50 to 70 mph, while the San Gabriel Mountains have seen gusts of of over 80 mph, according to NWS meteorologist Curt Kaplan.

Strong gusty Santa Ana Winds continue in Ventura County at 9 AM. Strongest gusts 50-70 mph across Ventura County valleys, mountains, and over 80 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains. #cawx #LAweather #Socal pic.twitter.com/8JzkJiKw6i
— Curt Kaplan (@Curtkap) January 19, 2021

Max winds so far today. Winds are expected to strengthen and expand through the day. High Wind Warnings in effect over much of the area. Wind damage to trees and temporary structures likely, power outages possible. Dangerous driving and boating conditions expected. #CAWX pic.twitter.com/F1mcBaVEIq
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) January 19, 2021

The NWS predicted higher elevations may see winds as high as 90 mph, while downtown Los Angeles could see winds of up to 6o mph. The highest gust reported so far was 95 mph in the hills above Ventura, according to a report in The Washington Post.

The NWS has placed much of the state, from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco down the coast to San Diego, in a Red Flag Warning due to a combination of unseasonably warm temperatures and record-setting winds. Any fire that ignites between Tuesday and Wednesday could spread rapidly and exhibit "extreme fire behavior," the NWS in Los Angeles warned.

Numerous fires have already broken out across California. On Sunday, a house fire on the 2100 block of Rambla Pacifico turned into a brush fire that killed one and seriously injured another. On Tuesday, a fire broke out in the Santa Clarita area that burned about 50 acres of brush, while another fire in San Dimas burned about 50 acres.

Thousands of Californians have either lost power, had their power shut off, or are under warning to lose power. 270,000 people across the state are without power, according to Poweroutage.us.

SCE has reported numerous unplanned outages throughout the entirety of Ventura County and along the coast, while thousands more across Ventura County have had their power shut off pre-emptively. SCE says that 270,000 customers across the L.A. metro area may have their power shut off in the next few days.