OAKLAND — Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Thursday night started turning off the power in parts of the Bay Area as high winds and low humidity arrived in the region. Power lines in Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties were being de-energized as of 7 p.m., according to the utility.

Warmer winds from the Great Basin — often called Diablo winds — are now the primary concern for meteorologists as most of Northern California falls under a National Weather Service red flag warning beginning at 11 p.m. Thursday and lasting through 5 p.m. Saturday.

Ahead of potentially dangerous conditions that could lead to wildfires, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is warning of possible public safety power shutoffs affecting a small number of customers across a wide swath of Northern and Central California beginning as early as Thursday night.