California heat wave leads to rolling blackouts
Heat wave brings fears of wildfires; Jeff Paul reports.
LOS ANGELES – The operator of California’s power grid is asking residents to conserve power for a few hours Thursday evening as record-breaking heat blankets the West this week.
The California Independent System Operator issued a Flex Alert for Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. to help relieve stress on the grid. It asks Californians to set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, turn off unnecessary lights and avoid the use of major appliances.
FILE: An automobile drives down a road as radiant heat is seen coming off of the pavement near high tension electrical lines in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP)
Earlier on Wednesday, the agency said the grid was stable and there was no expectation of rotating power outages.
US SUMMER HEAT WAVE: DOCTORS WARN OF BURN INJURIES AS RECORD TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO SCORCH WEST
People swim at Emancipation Park during a heatwave in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Temperatures are expected to reach 98 degrees Fahrenheit in Houston as a heat wave that's expected to drag on through the end of the week blankets the western half of the U.S. (Getty Images)
Summerlike heat arrived with spring still on the calendar as a dome of high pressure covered the West. Oppressive daytime highs have been followed by very warm nights.
People cool off in the water at the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek in Denver, Wednesday June 16, 2021. (AP)
Palm Springs hit a record 120 degrees on Tuesday, four degrees above the old June 15 record set in 1961.
A coastal eddy swirling low clouds over Southern California brought enough cooling Wednesday for forecasters to reduce some excessive-heat warnings to advisories around the Los Angeles region.
People play in the water at Santa Monica Beach on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP)
A milky haze of smoke from fires in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico also blew over Southern California, the National Weather Service said.
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Excessive-heat warnings were going into effect in the Central Valley, where some locations could see highs up to 113 degrees.
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