(BIVN) – The Public Safety Power Shutoff Watch continues for areas of Maui and Hawaiʻi island, where high winds and dry conditions present a possible wildfire threat.
On Maui, the Hawaiian Electric could opt to proactively shut off power in the areas of Westside, Māʻalaea, Upcountry and parts of Puʻunēnē, Pūlehu, and Ōmaʻopio. On Hawaiʻi island, Hawaiian Electric has identified the South Kohala area as a location for a potential shutoff, or PSPS.
There were outages reported in North Kohala on Wednesday, but Hawaiian Electric says they are not a result of the PSPS program.
“While we have not initiated any PSPS at the time of this news release, customers in communities with high exposure to wildfire risk are urged to initiate their own emergency plans and prepare for the possibility of extended power outages,” Hawaiian Electric stated at 11 a.m.
Although there are currently no Red Flag Warnings in effect for Hawaiʻi, the National Weather Service says fire weather conditions will remain near critical levels over the next several days. A Wind Advisory is in effect for parts of North Hawaiʻi and windward Kaʻū.
Hawaiian Electric says there is a potential for higher wind gusts and dropping humidity levels between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Hawai‘i Island. From a news release:
PSPS determinations can change at any time based on weather conditions. The criteria for determining a shutoff, which must be met concurrently, are persistent drought conditions, 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. Wind speeds at higher elevations can be significantly stronger than those experienced in nearby communities.
There are currently outages in the North Kohala area affecting approximately 2,100 customers due to weather conditions in the area and not related to the PSPS program. Additional outages that are not related to the company’s PSPS program could still occur due to high winds and other conditions.
