The worst heat wave of the year is posing a critical test for California’s overtaxed power grid, with officials warning that power outages are possible without major conservation efforts during a week of scorching temperatures.
Extreme heat is expected to grip the vast majority of California for at least six days, possibly longer.
Authorities are concerned about power capacity in part because high temperatures are forecast not only in inland regions that typically swelter this time of year, but also along many parts of the coast. This could mean many more people looking for air conditioning during peak hours.
“We’re anticipating this extreme heat to be of a duration and duration like we haven’t experienced in some time,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday, urging residents to conserve power.
Temperatures could reach all-time and monthly record highs and are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees above average during the day with little relief expected in the evening. High temperatures can reach 124 degrees in Death Valley.
“We’re not quite sure when it’s going to end,” Bill Rasch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said of the heat wave.
Officials are asking Californians to limit electricity use when possible to minimize the strain on the state’s power providers or risk blackouts. Losing power during such extreme heat can be very dangerous, if not deadly, especially for the most vulnerable.
California officials on Wednesday issued the first statewide Flex Alert of this heat wave, as much of the state entered its first day of extreme heat in this wave. or Second Flex Alert is released for Thursday.
During a Flex Alert, customers are asked to reduce their energy use in the afternoon and evening hours, when the grid is most stressed due to high demand and less energy available from solar panels.
Newsom declared the state of emergency Wednesday following a request from the California Independent System Operator, which operates the state’s electric grid, to temporarily increase power generation and response systems during the intense period of extreme heat.
“This will be a sustained event that will have sustained focus and sustained participation,” said Elliot Mainzer, Cal ISO president.
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is tracking cooling centers across the state and will continue to expand as the heat wave continues, officials said. The office also has generators and rapid response firefighting teams ready to deploy to communities in need as the potential for wildfires increases. Officials are bracing for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to see the highest demand for electricity this year — likely over 48,000 megawatts.
Mark Ghilarducci, director of the office, said the situation is constantly changing.
“It will continue to unfold and look different across the state in the coming days,” he said.
Despite government projects and efforts to bring more capacity online, the power system remains particularly vulnerable because neighboring areas from which California imports power are also experiencing overwhelming conditions. The ongoing drought is further straining the power grid by reducing hydropower supply sources, officials said, along with a small number of plants that have gone offline in recent years.
Siva Gunda, vice president for the California Energy Commission, said the state has been working to bring more supplies online, including more projects and increasing energy reserves.
Newsom advised Californians to turn their thermostats up to 78 degrees during the Flex Alert from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. The governor warned that Sunday and Monday will be the most challenging days for the power grid.
High temperatures hit as the governor and his team push lawmakers to pass a bill on the final day of the legislative year to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open until 2035.
The plant, which is located off the coast of San Luis Obispo County and produced 6% of the state’s electricity last year, is scheduled to close in 2025.
Newsom argues that Diablo should stay open for California to keep the lights on during heat waves and avoid a repeat of the power outages the state experienced two years ago. Environmental groups that pushed for Diablo’s closure six years ago strongly oppose it.
The heat wave began Wednesday with daily heat records in parts of Southern California.
Woodland Hills reached 112 degrees, breaking the previous record of 111 degrees for Aug. 31 set in 1998. Burbank’s previous record of 112 degrees broke the previous daily record of 108 degrees set in 2017, and Sandberg reached 100 degrees, surpassing the previous level of 98 degrees, even in 2017.
And it’s just the start for Labor Day weekend and beyond.
Temperatures along the coast could range from 80 to 95 degrees Wednesday through Saturday, before rising to 100 degrees Sunday and Monday, the weather service said.
The valleys and mountains could be hit by temperatures of 95 to 110 degrees Wednesday through Saturday and highs of up to 115 on Sunday and Monday, forecasters said.
“This is not a normal heat wave,” said meteorologist Trevor Boucher with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas.
Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
