Governor of California declares a state of emergency due to the heat wave that has occurred over the weekend in the state.
The entire state of California experiences extreme temperatures in the middle of the weekend leading up to Labor Day.
Since September 2, California has experienced a significant heat wave, with widespread near-record temperatures of 100ºF (37.7ºC) across the state.
A state of emergency is declared to avoid massive power outages
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued the emergency declaration in order to increase the state’s energy capacity and thus avoid massive power outages. Continual blackouts in hot weather leave tens of thousands of residents in the dark and without air conditioning, as happened during the last heat wave.
“For this weekend, energy conservation is the key,” Southern California Edison spokesman Tim Hanggi told the Los Angeles Times.
Some of the major utilities warn that the double blow of sweltering heat and increased energy demand could overload the power grid to the limit. This could lead to supply interruptions.
With Newsom’s emergency declaration, power plants can generate more power by suspending certain permitting requirements. This helps alleviate heat-induced demands on the state’s power grid.
Nevada, Arizona and Colorado are also hit by the heat wave
On the West Coast, not only is COVID-19 a problem, so is the looming heat wave that increases the risk of wildfires. The heat has not only affected the state of California, record temperatures have also occurred in Nevada, Arizona and Colorado.
In Arizona, temperatures have reached 110ºF (43.3ºC), the highest of the season.
It is expected that this weekend the beaches and parks will be the favorite places for the inhabitants to escape a bit from the terrible heat.
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