FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Public safety power shutoffs are already underway in parts of Northern California as PG&E officials say they are closely monitoring wind conditions in Central California and are considering whether to turn off power.

“We may lose power around 2 a.m. Friday morning and have it restored by 4 p.m. Sunday,” Kris Hamilton said.

She is one of thousands of PG&E customers who could lose power early Friday morning as strong winds move through parts of California.

The alerts affect 20,000 customers in 24 counties, including parts of Fresno, Madera, Merced and Mariposa counties.

Hamilton’s North Fork home is in the potential outage zone.

“When the power goes out, most of us are on wells, and that’s especially dangerous if there’s a fire because you don’t have water,” Hamilton said.

Utility officials say the possibility of shutoffs is due to dry conditions in the foothills and mountain communities, increasing fire risk if power lines are toppled by the wind.

“We will cut off the electricity to prevent a tree from falling in a line or a wire from touching the ground to prevent forest fires,” PG&E acting regional vice president Kari Chester said.

Chester says company officials will decide to implement closures when winds reach more than 20 miles per hour or gusts above 20 to 40 miles per hour.

“Winds will increase later (Thursday and) really through Friday morning,” Action News AM Live meteorologist Christine Gregory predicted. “Specifically on the west side of the valley towards Mendota (and) Los Banos you could see wind gusts up to 30-40 miles per hour and especially towards the foothills as well.”

State regulators have previously imposed a fine on PG&E for violating guidelines and failed security shutdowns in 2019, leaving millions in the dark.

PG&E officials say they are aware of the inconvenience the closures cause, but say they are far less catastrophic than wildfires.

Hamilton agrees. Her house burned down in the 2017 Mission Fire.

“We’re all still on pins and needles until the wet season starts, especially since we don’t have a manned fire station,” Hamilton said.

For customers who lose power, Community Resource Centers in Oakhurst, North Fork and Auberry are offering water, snacks and charging ports for appliances and medical equipment.