Idaho Power begins Public Safety Power shutoff as thunderstorm causes outages

UPDATE: The Idaho Power outage map seems to be displaying inconsistent outage information.

Our Neighborhood Reporter Brady Caskey drove to areas in Boise's north end where outages were listed on the Idaho Power website but found there many customers that were not impacted by the power shutoff.

UPDATE: Idaho Power has begun their Public Safety Power Shutoff, with 6,916 customers in the Boise and Idaho City area impacted as of 5:47 pm.

Additional outages that are not part of the safety shutoff have been reported in Boise, impacting 888 customers, and in Riggins, impacting 1297 customers.

UPDATE: Idaho Power's outage map lists a major outage in Boise, Kuna, Nampa, and Meridian impacting 6,716 customers.

Major weather-related outages have also been reported in Pocatello and Nyssa.

Multiple instances of downed power lines are being reported in Boise and Meridian as stormy weather moves through the Treasure Valley.

UPDATE: Idaho Power sent an alert around 4:12 pm indicating that the outage should begin shortly and could last between 12 and 24 hours depending on fire risk and weather conditions.

Idaho Power has added an alert (below) to their outage map page thanking residents for their patience as they work to restore power to areas which are beginning to experience outages.

As of 4:55 pm, major weather-related outages have been reported in Pocatello and Nyssa.

Idaho Power has sent a public safety power shutoff safety alert to warn Ada County residents that extreme weather conditions forecasted in the area could require power to be shut off to decrease the risk of wildfires.

If necessary, the outage is estimated to start between 5 and 10 pm on Wednesday, July 24. Outage duration will vary based on safety protocols and damage that may occur during the storm

Conditions are being monitored by Idaho Power, including helicopter patrols in some areas. Information on the PSPS outage will be provided if the precaution becomes necessary.

Idaho Power's outage map is available here to help you track outages in the area. The PSPS Areas map shows Ada County is an 'active' PSPS area, meaning Idaho Power is asking customers to prepare for an outage.

To prepare for the outage, Idaho Power is reminding Ada County residents to:

• Prepare for medical needs like refrigerated medicine or electrically powered medical equipment.
• Build a summer outage kit.
• Find a way to feed and water pets or livestock in case well pumps don’t have power.
• To protect your appliances, machinery, and equipment, turn off any that were in use when the power went out. Make sure to turn off electric ranges to prevent a fire if you’re away when power is restored. Keep one light on so you know when power has been restored.
• After power has been restored for about 10 minutes, begin turning back on appliances and lighting in 10-minute phases. This keeps circuits from overloading and helps to more quickly and safely restore everyone’s power.
• If you notice a downed power line, stay at least 100 feet back and report it to Idaho Power by calling 1-800-488-6151.

More information on how you can prepare for summer outages is available here .