California Power Outage Disrupts San Francisco as Western, Central, and Downtown Neighborhoods Lose Electricity
CALIFORNIA — A large-scale power outage is impacting San Francisco, leaving significant portions of the city without electricity and prompting emergency safety advisories from city officials and utility providers. Outage maps show the heaviest impacts concentrated across western and central San Francisco, with additional scattered outages stretching into downtown and eastern neighborhoods.
City officials are urging residents to limit travel, conserve power once restored, and follow safety precautions as crews work to assess and repair the disruption.
Most Impacted Areas Across San Francisco
Based on outage mapping and the data shown in the images, the most severely affected neighborhoods include:
- Richmond District (large continuous outage zone)
- Sunset District
- Presidio and Presidio Heights
- Haight-Ashbury
- Forest Knolls and Forest Hill
- Western Addition
- Lower Pacific Heights
These areas are shown in red, indicating widespread and prolonged power loss affecting homes, businesses, and traffic infrastructure.
Additional Outages in Central and Eastern Neighborhoods
Beyond the western half of the city, moderate to scattered outages are also affecting:
- Civic Center
- Tenderloin
- Lower Nob Hill and Union Square
- Mission District
- South of Market (SoMa)
- Chinatown
These areas appear in orange and yellow, signaling partial outages or intermittent service disruptions.
Traffic Signals and Travel Safety Concerns
With power down across multiple corridors, traffic signals are not functioning in many intersections, especially along major routes such as Fulton Street, Fell Street, Geary Boulevard, and Lincoln Way.
Officials are advising drivers to:
- Treat all dark traffic signals as four-way stops
- Avoid non-essential travel
- Use extreme caution at intersections
Pedestrians and cyclists are also urged to remain alert, as visibility and signal coordination may be reduced.
Emergency and Household Safety Guidance
City officials stress that 9-1-1 should only be used for life-threatening emergencies during the outage to prevent overwhelming emergency services.
Residents are advised to:
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to preserve food
- Turn off major appliances to prevent power surges when electricity returns
- Never use gas stoves, grills, or generators indoors, due to carbon monoxide poisoning risk
- Use battery-powered lighting instead of candles where possible
Utility Response and Restoration Efforts
Power restoration efforts are being coordinated by PG&E, which is monitoring conditions and dispatching crews to the hardest-hit zones. Restoration timelines have not been fully confirmed, as crews continue to evaluate infrastructure and isolate the cause of the outage.
Residents can track outage updates and safety guidance through official city and utility alert systems as repairs progress.
What Residents Should Expect Next
While restoration may begin in phases, some neighborhoods could experience extended outages, depending on damage assessments and access conditions. Officials caution that sporadic restorations and brief re-outages are possible as the grid stabilizes.
For now, San Francisco residents are urged to stay informed, remain patient, and prioritize safety until full power is restored across the city.
Authorities will continue issuing updates as more information becomes available and repair timelines are confirmed.