CALIFORNIA, USA — Update 11:15 p.m.
California managed to get through one of the most intense parts of an unrelenting heat wave without rotating power outages Monday.
Chances for the rotating outages were the highest they'd been since the heat wave started, and the state's power grid was tested by high demand. However, California has more scorching days ahead with flex alerts extended to Friday.
“This is an extraordinary heat event we are experiencing, and the efforts by consumers to lean in and reduce their energy use after 4 p.m. are absolutely essential,” said Elliot Mainzer, the California Independent System Operator’s president and CEO.
Relief from the heat likely won't be until the weekend, according to ABC10 meteorologist Brenden Mincheff.
"This is a long duration heat event that we're going to be dealing with literally all week. Tuesday looks like it'll be the hottest day, but every day this week could have temperatures of 110° or warmer, so the difference between 110° and 115° is really just numerical," Mincheff said.
Update 7 p.m.
Four extra emergency generators have been put online as the state warns of potential rotating power outages due to strain on the electrical grid.
California ISO said the four generators can provide up to 120 megawatts of electricity to the power grid, which they said is enough energy to power up to 120,000 homes.
This is the first time the generators have been activated since they were installed last year, officials said.
“DWR has been planning for this moment for months and we’re proud of our role in safeguarding the statewide energy grid. We are doing everything possible to help keep the lights on and the air conditioning running so millions of Californians can stay safe and healthy during this extreme heat event,” said Karla Nemeth, DWR Director.
Cal ISO also coordinated with PG&E and Southern California Edison to operate backup generators that provide up to an additional 80 megawatts of electricity into the grid during a level two power emergency.
Power has also been restored to Sacramento Municipal Utilities Department customers near Cosumnes River College.
Update: 6:40 p.m.
The California agency managing the state's energy grid recently upgraded its energy emergency alert from level 1 to level 2.
"(Independent System Operator) requests emergency energy from all resources and activated emergency demand response program. Consumers urged to conserve energy," the description says.
The energy emergency alert will remain at level 2 until at least 9 p.m.
Update: 6 p.m.
About 2,100 Sacramento Municipal Utilities District customers near Cosumnes River College are now without power, according to the SMUD outage map.
SMUD described the outage as unplanned. It started around 5:08 p.m.
Update 4 p.m.
Power was recently restored to nearly all of the 16,000 Sacramento Municipal Utilities District customers after about an hour-and-a-half outage.
The outage happened after a tree fell onto a powerline, according to a SMUD spokesperson.
But California officials and experts warn the unprecedented heat wave could trigger rolling blackouts due to strain on the power grid.
Peak heat temperatures aren't expected to cool down until at least this weekend, said ABC10 meteorologist Brenden Mincheff.
"Tuesday looks like it'll be the hottest day, but every day this week could have temperatures of 110° or warmer, so the difference between 110° and 115° is really just numerical," he said.
Update: 3:20 p.m.
16,000 customers are without power in the Arden area, according to the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District.
A spokesperson for SMUD said the outage is due to a tree that fell on to powerlines.
The outage was reported just after 2:30 p.m., and power is expected to return in about an hour.
The outage come as the region experiences a sweltering heatwave nears an all-record high for Sacramento.
"The hottest parts of the day are always in the late afternoon hours, right around 4 or 5 o'clock. Even though the sun isn't directly overhead at that time, we've had all day to heat up and therefore that's when our temperatures are highest," said ABC10 meteorologist Brenden Mincheff.
Other Resources:
Update: 3:15 p.m.
According to PG&E, 5,870 customers lost power near Vacaville around 2:02 p.m. The cause of the outage is under investigation. The outage is impacting some areas along Binghampton Road and along Fry Road.
It's not clear when power will return.
View the outage map HERE.
Update: 2:55 p.m.
16,000 customers are without power in the Arden area, according to the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District.
It's unclear what the cause of the outage is, but SMUD describes it as an unplanned outage that started just after 2:30 p.m. Power is expected to return in about an hour.
The outage come as the region experiences a sweltering heatwave nears an all-record high for Sacramento.
"The hottest parts of the day are always in the late afternoon hours, right around 4 or 5 o'clock. Even though the sun isn't directly overhead at that time, we've had all day to heat up and therefore that's when our temperatures are highest," said ABC10 meteorologist Brenden Mincheff.
View the map below or visit SMUD's website to view the outage map.
Original Story
The chances of a rolling power outages is at its highest chance yet as California grapples with a record-breaking heat wave, according to the state's grid operator.
Monday is the sixth day of Flex Alerts, and Californians are being urged to conserve power as the grid is burdened with high demand.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) is expecting high electricity demand, mainly from air conditioning, and is asking people to conserve power between 4-10 p.m.
"This multi-day event is going to get much more intense,” said ISO President and CEO Elliot Mainzer.
In fact, California ISO said Monday it is forecasting a peak demand of around 51,000 MW on Tuesday. That would surpass the highest peak electricity demand in the last 25 years, which was 50,270 MW on July 24, 2006.
The grid is often expected to be most stressed during the late afternoon and early evening as demand increases and solar energy wanes.
To track outages in Northern California, view below.
PG&E Outage Tracker
Other Resources
PG&E outages can be found HERE.
SMUD outages can be found HERE.
Outage information for Turlock Irrigation District can be found HERE.
Outage information for Roseville Electric can be found HERE.
Here's a map of California statewide outages using data from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&)E and Southern California Edison (SCE).
Officials are asking Californians to do the following before 4 p.m.:
- Pre-cool home by setting the thermostat to as low as 72 degrees
- Use major appliances, including:
- Washer and dryer
- Dishwasher
- Oven and stove for pre-cooking and preparing meals
- Adjust blinds and drapes to cover windows
They're also asking Californians to do the following between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.:
- Set the thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, if health permits
- Avoid using major appliances
- Turn off all unnecessary lights
Watch more on ABC10
