Important Takeaways:

• A California utility shut off power in 12 counties in the northern part of the state as a major “diablo wind” — notorious in autumn for its hot, dry gusts — spiked the risk of power lines sparking a wildfire.
• About 13,000 customers woke up without electricity Friday after Pacific Gas and Electric shut off power.
• The “diablo wind” is forecast to cause sustained winds reaching 35 mph (56 kph) in many areas, with possible gusts topping 65 mph (104 kph) along mountaintops, according to the National Weather Service.
• The strong winds are expected to last through part of the weekend.
• A total of about 20,000 customers could lose power temporarily in the next couple of days, PG&E said in a statement Thursday.
• “This could end up being the most significant wind event for this year so far,” said meteorologist Brayden Murdock with the service’s Bay Area office. “We want to tell people to be cautious.”
• During a diablo wind, common in the fall, the air is so dry that relative humidity levels plunge, drying out vegetation and making it ready to burn.

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