Are power outages possible as an atmospheric river storm sweeps through the Sacramento area?

Pacific Gas and Electric and Sacramento Municipal Utility District say they’ve been keeping a close eye on the winter weather.

“We do anticipate there will be some outages, but that doesn’t mean all customers will experience an outage,” PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said midday Wednesday. “The vast majority of customers will have power.”

Heavy rain and gusty winds are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, with chances of showers into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

As of noon Wednesday, Redding had reported wind gusts of up to 29 mph, the weather service said, while Red Bluff saw gusts up to 26 mph and winds at McClellan Airforce Base in Sacramento hit 21 mph.

“Things are definitely still picking up,” said Sarah Purdue, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Sacramento.

Here’s how PG&E and SMUD have been preparing for the storm.

Is PG&E ready for power outages?

Ahead of the storm, Moreno said PG&E worked to ensure “that we have the adequate staffing available to respond to power outages,” Moreno said.

The utility company provides electricity to approximately 16 million people throughout the Northern and Central California regions, according to its website.

PG&E has its own meteorology department that’s been closely tracking the storm, Moreno said.

The utility company has the ability to send additional crew members to help in impacted areas, he said.

If you experience a power outage, you can report it via PG&E’s website or by calling 1-800-PGE-5002.

How is Sacramento Municipal Utility District preparing for storm?

SMUD, which provides service for 1.5 million customers, said in a Monday news release that it “is prepared for this week’s winter storm.”

“SMUD prepares year round for these type of events … through maintenance of equipment and maintenance of vegetation in your infrastructure,” said Gamaliel Ortiz, SMUD spokesman.

If any SMUD customers experience a power outage, they can report it to smud.org/outages or by calling 1-866-456-7683.

Where can I get sandbags?

Here are areas in Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Doroado counties where residents can pick up sandbags.

Unincorporated Sacramento County

Residents of inincorporated cities in Sacramento County can pick up sandbags at the following locations, according to the Sacramento County Department of Water:

• 3847 Branch Center Road in Sacramento

• 6826 Hazel Ave. in Orangevale

• 7320 Florin Mall Drive in Sacramento

• 7995 Elwyn Ave. in Elverta

Placer County

Placer has a number of locations where people can grab sandbags, according to the county’s website:

Below is a list of ready-to-go sandbags throughout the county:

• 2145 Grass Valley Highway in Auburn

• 11755 Willow Creek Drive in Auburn

• 324 N. Sunrise Ave. in Roseville

El Dorado and Amador counties

The California Department of Forests and Fire Protection posted about sandbag locations throughout El Dorado and Amador via X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday afternoon. Here are three of those locations; for the full list visit the link.

• 1050 Wilson Blvd. in El Dorado Hills

• 3200 Country Club Drive in Cameron Park

• 2101 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe

Yolo County

Yolo County residents can get sandbags at 2895 Industrial Blvd. in West Sacramento.

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