On August 24, 2021, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), a utility that serves more than 16 million people across Northern and Central California, announced that it had installed more than 200 new weather stations in 2021.[1] The utility said that it has installed more than 1,200 weather stations since 2018 and plans to have a total of 1,300 weather stations by the end of 2021. This plan would amount to one weather station for every 20-line miles of electric distribution circuits within Tier 2 and Tier 3 High Fire-Threat Districts. The new weather stations will help the utility better prepare for severe weather events and reduce the extent of Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events.

Data captured by the weather stations, such as temperature, wind speed, and humidity levels, will help the utility evaluate where severe weather may be headed and inform its operational planning. During a PSPS, PG&E turns off specific power lines based on severe weather conditions to prevent tree branches and other debris from contacting energized power lines. The 200 new weather stations are sending hyperlocal data to PG&E meteorologists as well as analysts and experts in PG&E's Wildfire Safety Operations Center (WSOC). The WSOC is where the utility detects, evaluates, monitors, and responds to wildfire threats. The utility noted that weather stations are just one part of its Community Wildfire Safety Program. The program also includes installing sectionalizing devices to split the grid into smaller pieces and hardening infrastructure to reduce wildfire risk and lessen the effects of PSPS events.

[1]https://www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20210824_improving_weather_forecasting_to_better_predict_and_respond_to_weather_threats_pge_has_installed_more_than_200_new_weather_stations_this_year