Winter storm leaves tens of thousands without electricity across Northern California
We’ll return with the extended forecast shortly. Thank you. We’ll reconnect with you then. Emergency crews have been responding to fallen trees. Observe this substantial tree that fell earlier on Millertown Road in Auburn. It’s quite large. Officials advise the public to keep clear and to call 911 if a tree lands on power lines, as this one appears to have done. Currently, we’re monitoring power outages in Nevada County. The PG&E outage map indicates approximately 4,000 residences and businesses are without electricity. Some areas might see power restored as early as 7:00 tonight, hopefully. As you’ve witnessed, trees coming down, like the one Maricela captured on Live Tracker Three, can cause significant damage. KCRA 3’s Cecil Hannibal is reporting live from Grass Valley, assessing the storm’s impact in Nevada County. Yes, Lisa, progress is being made. We just spoke with PG&E; they reported 11,000 outages throughout the day. Another tree has fallen here on Whiting Street in Grass Valley. This is as close as we could get, as crews are actively cutting away what remains of the tree. We just spoke to a woman who works on the other side of it, she came to check on her building. My photographer is panning up. She mentioned that this tree was as tall as the adjacent one when the day began. So, a very large tree came down and struck power lines. My photographer is panning left where you can see crews diligently working on the power lines, having been up and down, repairing the power pole and lines on that side of the street. However, at our last check, PG&E stated they were prepared, with crews already dispatched. They noted this particular crew would be here for some time, working to restore power in this Grass Valley area. They also mentioned the majority of outages are south of Grass Valley, and also east and northeast of Nevada City. Furthermore, a power pole is down near Quaker Hill Road in Nevada City, so please avoid that vicinity as crews are also active there. These are the two primary locations PG&E is addressing in Nevada County. While they reported up to 11,000 outages earlier today, that number has now, as you noted, fallen to between 4,000 and 5,000. So, considerable progress is being made. They are informing residents that most customers should have power restored before the night ends, but crews must complete their work first. That’s what they’re doing right now, working to clear this tree here. Again, we are on Winding Street, and if you need to travel through this part of Grass Valley, you can see the “Do Not Enter” sign yourself. You cannot proceed further. We will continue monitoring the situation as crews work to remove this tree and restore power.
Powerful storm leaves tens of thousands without electricity across Northern California
Latest Update: 9:30 PM PST on February 17, 2026
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Northern California experienced widespread power outages on Tuesday as a powerful winter storm impacted tens of thousands across several counties. Customer outage numbers continued to rise into the evening. Pacific Gas and Electric Company reported the following figures as of 9:05 p.m.: Nevada County: 9,660; Placer County: 3,321; El Dorado County: 5,735; Amador County: 2,640; Calaveras County: 10,003; Tuolumne County: 1,701; Stanislaus County: 1,641; Solano County: 2,947; Sierra County: 1,125. By 9:30 p.m., a state dashboard indicated that over 57,000 customers across California were without electricity. Key online resources for preparing for and tracking California power outages include Ready.gov, which details how to prepare for and recover from outages. To stay informed without power or cell service, learn how to locate a nearby National Weather Service radio station. You can also sign up for CalAlerts emergency notifications for any California county. Track PG&E outages here, SMUD outages here, and view power outages across all California counties. Follow our KCRA weather team on social media: Meteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and X; Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on Facebook; Meteorologist Heather Waldman on Facebook and X; Meteorologist Kelly Curran on Facebook and X; and Meteorologist Ophelia Young on Facebook and X. You can watch our forecasts on TV or online by finding our latest video forecast here or tuning into a livestream of our newscast here (the banner on our website turns red when live). We also stream on the Very Local app, available for Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV. Send us your weather photos and videos at kcra.com/upload. Additionally, explore more top California stories here, download our app, subscribe to our morning newsletter, and find and subscribe to our YouTube channel here.
The intense winter storm affecting Northern California on Tuesday has resulted in power loss for tens of thousands of residents across numerous counties.
Customer outages increased throughout the evening. Pacific Gas and Electric Company provided the following updated figures as of 9:05 p.m.:
- Nevada County: 9,660
- Placer County: 3,321
- El Dorado County: 5,735
- Amador County: 2,640
- Calaveras County: 10,003
- Tuolumne County: 1,701
- Stanislaus County: 1,641
- Solano County: 2,947
- Sierra County: 1,125
A state dashboard reported that over 57,000 customers throughout California were without electricity by 9:30 p.m., according to a state dashboard.
Essential Websites for California Power Outage Preparedness and Tracking
- Follow Meteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and X
- Follow Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on Facebook
- Follow Meteorologist Heather Waldman on Facebook and X
- Follow Meteorologist Kelly Curran on Facebook and X.
- Follow Meteorologist Ophelia Young on Facebook and X.
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