UPDATE, Oct. 9, 6:36 p.m.: With strong winds yet to kick up as of Wednesday evening, PG&E was able to restore power to 44,000 customers in the North Bay and Sierra foothills. The utility said it was still monitoring weather conditions for the East Bay and South Bay and hadn't yet decided the timing of shut-offs in those areas. Read the latest here.

More than 250,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers in the Bay Area will lose power starting Wednesday as the utility company plans to preemptively shut down power to mitigate wildfire risks.

On Tuesday afternoon, the utility announced will shut off power to 800,000 customers in Northern and Central California starting early Wednesday. PG&E said it would notify affected customers directly.

An interactive map on PG&E's website shows wide swaths of the Bay Area that will be affected by a PSPS, or public safety power shutoff. See the gallery at the top of this story for a selection of areas at risk.

Looking through the affected areas, you'll notice the hilly areas of the South Bay and East Bay are especially vulnerable.

Just because an area of the map is highlighted doesn't mean the power will definitely be shut off there. The map is also subject to change.

You can also zoom in and find your neighborhood on PG&E's interactive map on its website (though the website was intermittently down throughout the day). If the page loads, scroll down and find the second map.

The blue areas on this map show where PG&E has planned outages for Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019.

The weather this week is expected to be dry and windy, which makes the risk of a catastrophic wildfire high, PG&E officials said. The utility company wants to shut off power so its electric equipment doesn't start a wildfire as has happened in recent years.

The number of potential customers affected in each Bay Area county, according to PG&E, is:

32,613 customers in Alameda County

40,219 customers in Contra Costa County

66,289 customers in Sonoma County

32,124 customers in Napa County

14,766 customers in San Mateo County

38,123 customers in Santa Clara County

32,862 customers in Solano County

9,855 customers in Marin County

As of Tuesday afternoon, San Francisco County is not expected to be affected.

FULL PG&E SHUTOFF COVERAGE:

- Map shows Bay Area neighborhoods that will be without power

- PG&E map down? Here's an interactive NorCal power shutoff map that actually works

- Essentials to buy for PG&E's planned power outage

- Here's what you should (and shouldn't) do during a power outage

- When will my power turn off?

- Cal, Bay Area schools announce canceled classes, closure

- UPDATE: 2 Bay Area tunnels expected to remain open

Bay City News contributed to this report.

Alix Martichoux is an SFGate digital editor. Read her latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.