LOS ANGELES — A record-breaking September heat wave continues to toast parts of the west and southwest as parts of California reach 110 degrees and little relief in sight.
Downtown Los Angeles hit 103 degrees on Sunday while Long Beach Airport hit 109 and Burbank hit 110 degrees, the latter two setting daily records and the former the first reading of over 100 degrees in two years. Santa Ana in Orange County tied a record 108 degrees.
San Diego not only set heat records during the day, but also during the night. Sunday morning’s low of 78 degrees tied the hottest low on record. Santa Ana only dropped to 80 degrees.
Further north in the San Joaquin Valley, temperatures that have already baked near 110 degrees over Labor Day weekend are expected to top 110 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Fresno expected to hit 113 on Tuesday, breaking the daily record high temperature by seven. degrees.
According to the National Weather Service.
Just under 50 million people in the West remain under some sort of heat alert, including 40 million under an excessive heat warning – the vast majority in California and southern Nevada.
Parts of northwestern Arizona and much of the Phoenix metro area are also under excessive heat warnings, as peaks there soar to around 115 degrees.
California power grid strained by excessive heat
The prolonged heat puts a strain on the region’s power grid as atmospheric conditions work overtime.
The state’s independent system operator asked residents to limit the use of major appliances, avoid charging electric vehicles and turn off unnecessary lights between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., when demand is the highest.
PG&E, California’s largest utility company, also encourages consumers to save energy in any way possible, especially following 4 p.m. They say customers can also set their thermostat to 78 degrees or higher.
The scorching heat with temperatures up to 20 degrees above average is expected to continue on Thursday and Friday before help arrives for the weekend.
