CALIFORNIA — October 22, 2026. Electric-service interruptions have been reported in several parts of California during this week’s storms, but they are not necessarily one connected event. The strongest independently documented local reports concern the Fresno region, San Luis Obispo County, San Francisco and Trona in Searles Valley.
Statewide snapshot: About 30,000 customers without power
Data timestamp: October 21, 2026, 5:43 p.m. Pacific. An outage-aggregation snapshot previously reviewed by California58 showed 30,131 electricity customer accounts without power statewide. The figure is historical, not a live count for October 22. The same directory listed 48 utilities, but that does not mean 48 utilities were reporting active outages. The count refers to customer accounts, not individual residents, and changes as service is restored or new incidents occur.
California58 maintains a separate California Power Outages county dashboard using the California Office of Emergency Services public data. That official dataset covers PG&E, Southern California Edison, SDG&E and SMUD, not every California electricity provider. Its county figures are a separate, frequently refreshed snapshot and must not be combined with the historical 30,131 figure.
Why an unplanned outage is different from a wildfire safety shutoff
PG&E’s seven-day Public Safety Power Shutoff forecast dated October 21, 2026 showed no planned PSPS for October 22. That forecast addresses planned wildfire-prevention de-energization, not all kinds of electricity failures. A power line damaged by weather or an underground equipment problem can still cause an unplanned interruption even when no PSPS is scheduled. Do not interpret a “no PSPS” forecast as a guarantee that every California customer has power.
Where were outages reported?
For location-specific original reporting, see Sanger News on outages in the Fresno, Selma and Clovis region; Shandon News on the Atascadero, Paso Robles and Shandon area; San Francisco News on the Tenderloin/Civic Center vault-fire outage; and Searles Valley News on the Trona-area SCE outage. These are separate, dated incidents; their causes and restoration statuses should not be assumed to be the same. The original local reports cite their underlying utility or reporting sources.
Nearby coverage: Ridgecrest News, Inyokern News and Paso Robles News. These neighboring notices do not claim outages in their own communities without separate verification.
Editorial note: County totals cannot establish which particular streets or towns lost power. California58 publishes specific community claims only when supported by a dated utility incident record or independently verified local reporting. For the latest changing totals, consult the county dashboard rather than treating the historical figures in this story as live.
Trona 2 p.m. update: Resident reports electricity still out after noon deadline
October 22, about 2 p.m. PDT: A Searles Valley resident reports that electricity had not been restored at their location by about 2 p.m. The estimated times of 10 a.m. and noon both passed for that account. There is no confirmed new estimate or valley-wide customer count. Read the original Searles Valley News report. This report is based on one service location, not a claim that all Searles Valley customers are without power.
Trona: Noon restoration estimate reported after earlier 10 a.m. alert
Late-morning update, October 22: A local resident reports receiving a new text/email notification moving the estimated restoration time for a Trona-area electric service incident to 12:00 p.m. (noon) Pacific, from the prior 10:00 a.m. estimate. Earlier alerts identified the utility as Southern California Edison (SCE); although the resident referred to PG&E, PG&E’s published utility directory lists SCE as Trona’s electric supplier. The newest message’s sender and timestamp have not been independently inspected by this newsroom. The noon estimate is reader-reported, not independently confirmed; it is not proof of restored service. See Searles Valley News’ updated original report.
Earlier report: 10 a.m. estimate
A Southern California Edison customer notification supplied to Searles Valley News identifies an unplanned outage beginning at 6:43 a.m. October 22 and an estimated restoration time of 10 a.m. The utility says crews are working; the cause, number of customers and geographic extent are not confirmed. This estimate is not proof service has been restored.
Fresno, Selma, Clovis and Sanger: storm-related outages
On October 21, local reporting citing PG&E’s outage map identified 14 outages affecting 9,702 customers across the Fresno area and near Selma, 13 attributed by PG&E to the storm. A separate morning disruption affected 7,295 customers around Clovis, while 5,418 customers were reported affected near Sanger and Centerville. These are snapshots from Wednesday, not counts still without power Thursday morning. See GV Wire’s PG&E-based report.
San Luis Obispo County: Shandon and Atascadero
Storm-related outages on October 21 affected at least 500 customers near Shandon, east of Paso Robles, and another 500 or more east of Atascadero, according to Cal Coast News. Rockslides and possible downed power lines also disrupted travel. Thursday restoration for individual addresses requires a fresh PG&E check.
San Francisco: separate underground equipment fire
In San Francisco, a reported underground electrical vault fire near Van Ness Avenue and Bush Street affected approximately 2,775 PG&E customers on October 21, particularly in the Tenderloin and Civic Center areas. Most service was restored by about 9:15 p.m. that evening, according to PG&E’s statement reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. This incident should not be described as a storm-caused outage without evidence.
How many Californians are without power now?
Third-party tracking sites provide continuously changing statewide and county snapshots, not a definitive live count for every city. The California outage dashboard and California Office of Emergency Services statewide outage layer can help locate potential disruptions. Figures can change rapidly and some utilities are not covered. Check PG&E, SCE or SDG&E for address-specific updates.
Internet and mobile service
Loss of electricity can disrupt home routers and some network equipment, but a local outage does not prove a provider-wide fiber failure. Verizon’s California map separately lists Trona-area wireless disruptions dating from October 16. The reasons for slower service need independent verification.
What residents should do
Avoid downed lines and flooded roads; never run a fuel-powered generator indoors. Check official road and utility updates before traveling, and follow local emergency instructions. The date of a news report is not the same as the time of the last utility update.
Support independent California reporting: Support California58 and local newspapers.
Support independent journalism for all Californians
Support reporting, public information and community coverage across California’s 58 counties.
Donate once by card ↗Support California58
Choose how to support California58:
Credit / Debit Card via StripeChoose an amount from $1. One-time support through the publisher's LINKERNO Stripe account.
Continue with PayPal Continue with ZelleZelle payments go to Vitaly Ataev Troshin. Please verify the recipient in your bank before sending. Availability depends on your bank.
Optional reader support. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible. Support does not influence editorial decisions.USEFUL SERVICES
Useful services from our ecosystem
AFFILIATED RESOURCE
Travel smarter worldwide
OptionTripAI-powered trip planning for journeys in California and around the world.
Explore OptionTrip →AFFILIATED RESOURCE
Free tax & property tools
TaxesTimeFree preliminary tax and property tools, including the Property Tax Savings Report.
Explore TaxesTime →AFFILIATED RESOURCE
California document support
LegalDocSVCDocument preparation support for self-represented Californians. Not a law firm and not legal advice.
Explore LegalDocSVC →WORK WITH CALIFORNIA58
Have a story, project or partnership idea?
California58 welcomes news tips, interviews, video projects, community partnerships, advertising and other California-focused collaborations.
Work with California58 →

COMMUNITY
Comments
Join the California58 conversation. You must be signed in to comment.
Create a free California58 account or sign in with an available social provider.