High winds and possible flash flooding are in the forecast going into the weekend as a weakening hurricane approaches the California coast, according to the National Weather Service.
“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 ISO’s president and CEO.
The California Independent System Operator — which manages the state’s power grid — issued the first Flex Alert of the week on Wednesday, urging residents to reduce electricity during peak hours, initially designated as 4 to 9 p.m. Additional Flex Alerts had been issued for the same hours each day since Wednesday.
“Flex Alerts have been resulting in some helpful conservation and grid operators and an emergency proclamation from Gov. Gavin Newsom, requested by the ISO, has also freed up some additional resources,” according to Cal- ISO. “… The Flex Alert covers that time of day when the grid is most stressed from higher demand and less solar energy.”
The late-summer heat wave that began Tuesday will not relent until early next week, pushing the mercury above 100 degrees — and into the 110s in some locations — throughout the Inland Empire, the National Weather Service said Thursday.
A prolonged and prodigious heat wave will continue to bake the Southland Thursday — one day after record-setting temperatures were recorded in some areas and a state-wide Flex Alert was issued to minimize strain on the power grid.
“With excessive heat in the forecast across much of the state and Western U.S., the grid operator is expecting high electricity demand, primarily from air conditioning use, and is calling for voluntary conservation steps to help balance supply and demand,” according to Cal-ISO.
