Update: A third school, Huffaker Elementary School, has been closed due to power outage at the building.
Gusty winds and low humidity have led to power outages for 15,000 NV Energy customers on Wednesday. The power is out in seven northern Nevada zones identified by NV Energy in a planned public safety outage management (PSOM) event intended to reduce wildfire risks.
The outages are affecting residents in southwest Reno, the Galena area, Virginia City Highlands, Washoe Valley, south Carson City and Genoa. Customers in Verdi have been alerted that their power may be shut off if weather conditions warrant.
Washoe County School District officials said classes and activities at Pleasant Valley and Roy Gomm elementary schools are canceled for the day because neither school has power.
The Weather Channel issued a red flag warning until 7 p.m. with winds of 25-35 miles per hour gusting up to 50-60 miles per hour. Humidity is low at 12-25%.
NV Energy spokesperson Meghin Delaney said Wednesday’s planned outages could last into Thursday, depending on weather conditions, but power would be restored if conditions improve. Recent rain and snow, she said, was not enough to eliminate the risk of wildfire.
“The recent precipitation received in northern Nevada is no match for the high winds forecasted for Wednesday,” Delaney said. “The prefrontal winds will dry and cure fuels to critical levels erasing any relief the previous moisture provided.”
Power outages during PSOM events are part of NV Energy’s natural disaster program, created in response to a 2019 Nevada law requiring electric utilities to submit a natural disaster protection plan to the Public Utilities Commission. During a PSOM event, the power company evaluates risks and shuts off power in extreme or elevated fire risk areas to help prevent power lines, things blown into power lines or other equipment from causing or contributing to a wildfire.
NV Energy works with local emergency management teams and other stakeholders to evaluate risks–such as weather, vegetation levels as fire fuels, field observations or local responder feedback–before shutting down power in any zones.
Customers in the affected area were notified ahead of time of potential outages and will be updated should conditions change.
More information on NV Energy’s PSOM zones and safety plan are available at https://www.nvenergy.com/safety/psom.
