(BIVN) – Wildfire risk is being monitored by the Hawaiian Electric company on parts of Hawaiʻi Island, and a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) watch has been issued for South Kohala.

“A PSPS watch means that if weather conditions intensify in the next 12 to 24 hours Hawaiian Electric may proactively shut off power in communities with high exposure to wildfire risk,” the power utility said in a Monday evening news release. “During this watch period, customers in these areas are urged to initiate their own emergency plans and prepare for the possibility of extended power outages.”

A PSPS was initiated overnight in West Maui. According to Hawaiian Electric:

An outage that began around 7 p.m. affected some parts of West Maui. Wind speeds increased to over 80 mph in parts of West Maui and humidity dropped rapidly so the determination was made to proactively turn off power to other remaining circuits in West Maui as part of the company’s Public Safety Power Shutoff program around 8:30 p.m. as a safety measure.

About 10,000 customers in West Maui lost power and will remain out due to extreme wind gusts and rapidly plummeting humidity levels. Power will remain off until weather subsides and crews can inspect and make any needed repairs. Customers are being asked to prepare for extended outages as a PSPS outage can last up to hours or days.

The utility says its criteria for determining a shutoff include wind gusts 45 mph and higher, and relative humidity below 45%. “The company analyzes data from weather stations and cameras near its infrastructure in high-risk areas with potential for fire spread,” Hawaiian Electric said. “Wind gusts can be stronger in higher elevations than in residential areas.”