Likely cause of our recent power outages

Last Wednesday's power outages were tentatively attributed in The Union (here) to lightning.
(was there lightning?)

The two comments on the article asked if anything was known about the causes of two other recent unexplained outages, which occurred when there was no weather to speak of.

Nobody responded to us.


My guess is that Nevada County's power outages stem from the same problem reported in Red Bluff recently:

North Valley PG&E spokesperson Lisa Randle said dust and other material from the summer collects in the air and rests on insulators.

Usually, quick, heavy rains are able to remove those contaminants without incident.

But this year, the rainy season started with a drizzle, not with a bang, which gave time for the dust to create a pathway for the electricity.

"Most likely, it was weather-related," she said.