The month of September is bringing sweltering heat to Southern California, and weather forecasters are expecting temperatures that will set new records.
The National Weather Service forecasts that temperatures in certain sections of Southern California might reach as high as 115 degrees from Wednesday through the weekend of Labor Day. According to David Sweet, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard, this will be the hottest and longest heat wave that the region has experienced all year.
The operator of the state’s electrical grid has issued a warning about the extreme heat that is expected to affect a large portion of Southern California and has warned that the high temperatures may result in power outages.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reports that the state is in the midst of a prolonged late-summer heat wave, and that temperatures in certain locations could reach as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is just another example of why it is critical to not place all of our faith in our antiquated electricity grids.
As a last-ditch effort to reduce the state of California’s energy crisis, residents are being advised to raise the temperature of their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher.
Officials from CAISO issued a stern warning late on Tuesday evening, saying, “If weather or grid conditions deteriorate, the ISO may issue a series of emergency alerts to access more resources and get market participants and the public aware for potential energy shortages and the need to conserve.” The operator of the electricity grid plans to send out Flex Alerts to California residents in the hopes that they will reduce their energy consumption voluntarily over the holiday weekend.
People can be requested to raise their temperatures to 78 degrees or higher, stop from using heavy appliances, avoid charging electric vehicles, and turn off unnecessary lights between the hours of four and nine o’clock in the evening, when the grid is under the most stress.
