Power is shut off on windy Thanksgiving Day in parts of Riverside County
Some Southern California Edison customers in Riverside County started their Thanksgiving holiday off without power Thursday as Southern California Edison took precautions in areas hit by strong Santa Ana winds.
Communities without power include Hemet, Homeland and two unincorporated areas of Riverside County, with residents in Hemet and Homeland first alerted at around 12:50 p.m. Thursday, according to the SCE website.
While Hemet had an estimated restoration time of around 5 p.m., restoration times for the other areas had yet to be determined.
The National Weather Service has issued a red-flag warning signifying the possible threat of wildfires from early Thursday until Friday morning. Forecasters predicted wind gusts up to 55 mph in some spots through Thursday night.
In Riverside County, about 5,872 customers were without power as of midday Thursday.
Under consideration for shutoffs as of 12:30 p.m. were another 8,418 customers in Riverside County as of 2 p.m. SCE also said shutoffs were being considered for 7,584 customers in Los Angeles County as a precaution against wildfires.
Wind speeds and low humidity are major factors in helping SCE determine which areas to consider for precautionary shutoffs.
The elevated fire danger was expected to last until 6 p.m. SCE said that once fire conditions end, restoration is expected to take up to eight hours, but could take longer if the utility needs daylight for safe inspections or if workers find damage.
SCE considers power shutoffs in parts of Southern California with Santa Ana winds incoming