Pandemic celebrations using mylar balloons create a big spike in power outages.

When Covid-19 nixed birthday parties, graduation celebrations and other festive gatherings last spring, people got creative with drive-by events – parades of vehicles decorated with posters, streamers and lots of shiny mylar balloons. Some of those balloons broke free and instead of bringing cheer, they brought power outages to thousands of homes in Monterey County last year, according to PG&E.

Power outages due to mylar balloons – their metallic coating conducts electricity that causes short circuits in power lines and substation equipment – were up 30 percent in 2020 over 2019, PG&E reports. In all, the company reports 453 power outages happened in Northern and Central California. Some of those outages hit critical infrastructure like hospitals and schools and snarled commutes when traffic lights went out.

Out of the top five cities on the Central Coast where outages caused by loose balloons were an issue, three were in Monterey County. Salinas was the number-one city for outages, with 25 events impacting more than 116,000 customers. It was more than double the number of outages in Santa Maria, which had 12.

Monterey was in third place with seven outages impacting 188,000 customers (re-counting those affected more than once). Greenfield was number four with five outages and 42,000 customers. Watsonville, in fifth place, also had five outages but only 5,000 customers were left in the dark.

On Feb. 15, 54 Seaside customers lost power for a little over an hour when Valentine’s mylar balloons caught on power lines. PG&E officials ask that people puncture the balloons indoors and place them in the trash.