California: Expert Wants Americans to Be Ready for Most Intense Phase' of Dangerous Heat Wave

The California heat wave has taken another turn, with the state power grid operators issuing a warning that there could be possible blackouts as the heatwave could reach "even greater heights" on Monday and Tuesday.

KTLA News reported that the CEO of the California Independent System Operator, Elliot Mainzer, noted that they have now entered the "most intense phase of this heat wave." Mainzer added that the projected demand for Monday and Tuesday is currently at "all-time record levels," with a possibility of rotating blackouts increased.

California ISO warned that a wildfire in the state could also cause an outage in power generation and transmission.

Californians have been doing their part to conserve energy during peak hours so far, according to Mainzer.

The demand is expected to reach 48,461 megawatts on Monday, while the current capacity is 57,083 megawatts. The peak for Tuesday's demand is at 51,145 megawatts.

California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Tomas Aragon said it is not over, adding that the state has a few more days and it is going to be "tough."

California Heat Wave

The California grid will move to Energy Emergency Alert Level 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. It is the highest level of emergency that will be issued in this current heat wave.

Once the emergency level reaches Alert Level 3, it will resort to rolling power outages as demand overwhelms supply, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.

Meanwhile, Novato United School District will be running a tight schedule at Lu Sutton Elementary School, Novato High School, and High Education Center. Each period will be shortened, and the school day will finish by 1:15 p.m.

The California grid operator's request to reduce the residents' electricity use is also now in effect. The request is known as Flex Alert.

California Heat Temperature

High temperatures in California have affected several cities across the Bay Area and will continue for days, the National Weather Service noted.

Pasadena has reached 103 degrees over the weekend, which has broken its daily record set in 1938, The New York Times reported.

Meanwhile, Fresno is forecasted to peak at 114 degrees on Tuesday, which is three degrees higher than the city's all-time high temperature for the month of September.

Lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Hanford, Bill South, noted that it was "definitely record-setting." South added that they get heat waves in September but not as "intense as this one."

Hundred thousands of Californians lost power in rotating blackouts in August 2020 during a heatwave. California Gov. Gavin Newsom noted that the state had added at least 8,000 megawatts of clean energy to the grid since 2020. State officials have also requested residents to lock their air-conditioning at 78 degrees to conserve power.

In 1955, a heat wave in California claimed 950 lives. Since then, nothing of the same incident has happened.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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