Power outages not expected in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo counties despite high winds

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - PG&E and Southern California Edison say customers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties aren't expected to lose power even as winds pick up in Southern California.

Both utilities have been conducting Public Safety Power Shutoffs, which are designed to prevent utility equipment from coming into contact with brush and sparking a wildfire during certain conditions. That includes strong wind events.

PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey said Tuesday that a Public Safety Power Shutoff was not expected in San Luis Obispo County or northern Santa Barbara County over the next seven days.

SoCal Edison's website did not list any parts of southern Santa Barbara County as being under consideration for power outages either, however, both utilities have said in the past that conditions can always change.

Some 45,000 SCE customers in Ventura County were under consideration for power outages as of Tuesday afternoon.

Forecasters are warning people about a powerful round of Santa Ana winds hitting Southern California starting late Tuesday. Meteorologists say there could be gusts of up to 70 miles an hour in the mountains and some valleys.