With much of the state sizzling in triple-digit temperatures Sunday, California issued a heat advisory that called for extreme energy conservation measures to prevent an overload on the power grid.
Residents and businesses were asked to cool properties and then shut off cooling units between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The California Independent Service Operator (CAISO) predicted record demand on the strained grid, which was further stretched when a new wildfire in Madera County grew to 45,500 acres and closed a power station.
Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that, even with conservation, rolling blackouts could start as early as Sunday afternoon.
“Wildfires have caused system failures, while near record energy demand is predicted as a multi-state heat wave hits the West Coast for the second time in a matter of weeks,” Newsom said in a statement. “Californians should heed CAISO’s warnings and flex their power to shift energy consumption to earlier in the day today, and protect against predicted shortages Sunday and Monday.”
Heat records were expected to be smashed Sunday. At 11 a.m. it was already 98 degrees in Livermore, 97 in Concord, 93 in Novato and 88 in San Francisco, just 1 degree cooler than the high for Saturday.
San Francisco was absent the natural air conditioning normally delivered by a cooling fog riding in on the onshore ocean breeze. This caused San Francisco to be just 2 degrees cooler than San Jose, and 6 degrees hotter than Palo Alto.
The normal escape route would be straight to Ocean Beach, but that was complicated when Mayor London Breed ordered the parking lots closed. This came in response to a gathering of an estimated 1,000 devotees of Burning Man, which prior to the pandemic was scheduled for this weekend. Saturday night marked the traditional burn of the towering effigy in the northern Neveda desert.
“This was absolutely reckless & selfish,” Breed tweeted Sunday morning. “You are not celebrating. You are putting people’s lives at risk. You are putting our progress at risk. No one is immune from spreading the virus.”
Breed said law enforcement would patrol the area Sunday.
“We’ve heard people may return tonight. Don’t do it,” she said.
By mid-morning Sunday, a dry offshore wind blowing hot air from the inland fire regions had caused PG&E to warn of precautionary rolling blackouts in 17 counties. With the indoor strain rendered by overworked electric fans and air conditioning in buildings new enough to have it, the power grid was already stressed. St. Helena was warned by PG&E to expect rolling blackouts.
PG&E warns of rolling blackouts on Tuesday and Wednesday in Zone 3 — from Santa Cruz up through San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties to Mendocino — and in Zone 2, which includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Napa counties. Inland counties from the Oregon border down through the Sierra Nevada to Southern California are also subject to rolling blackouts.
Excessive heat is expected until 9 p.m. Monday. On Sunday, temperatures were forecast to rise to 115 inland before cooling on Labor Day to the high 80s at the coast and 108 inland.
Meanwhile, firefighters continued to make steady progress against three major wildfires that have burned since a lightning storm three weeks ago. The SCU Lighning Complex Fire, largest of the three and burning portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara counties, was at 88% contained Sunday morning after burning 396,000 acres. The LNU Lightning Complex burning multiple North Bay counties was 89% contained after buring 375,000 acres. The CZU Lightning Complex in the Santa Cruz Mountains was 68% contained at 86,500 acres.
The National Weather Service warned of fire danger in the East Bay hills, the North Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains amid the heat wave that has sparked several dangerous wildfires across the state.
A fire weather watch will go into effect in the mountain regions at 10 p.m. Monday with strong, dry wind gusts arriving and mixing with triple-digit temperatures.
“That increase in northeasterly winds, combined with several days of critically hot and dry conditions, really increase the risk for fire weather,” said Roger Gass, a meterologist for the weather service.
The highest elevations could see gusts up to 50 mph. Peak winds are expected Tuesday morning. The fire watch is expected to last until 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Fire Weather Watch has been updated to include the Santa Cruz Mts. Greatest threat continues to be over the North Bay Mountains, but dry and gusty conditions will impact the East Bay Hills and Santa Cruz Mountains too. #cawx #cafire pic.twitter.com/kO92cP3WaD
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) September 6, 2020
Sam Whiting and Tatiana Sanchez are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com; Tatiana.Sanchez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter:swhitingsf @TatianaYSanchez.
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Blackouts likely as Californians sizzling in triple-digit heat are asked to conserve power - San Francisco Chronicle
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