Posted on 06/29/2021 7:15:57 AM PDT by blam
The Pacific Northwest is experiencing a multi-day heat wave that we said last week would be “historic.” The unrelenting triple-digit temperatures shattered records across the region and have stressed out power grids where rolling blackouts have been reported.
Bloomberg reports Avista Corporation, which supplies electricity to 340,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers, triggered its first rolling blackout across its grid after it became overloaded Monday evening. Rotating outages first hit 9,300 customers late Monday and could expand as temperatures remain well above average through July 4.
Avista was the first major utility to report rolling blackouts in the Northwest region, and with positive temperature anomalies to linger through the week, it may not be the last.
Avista has never “experienced this kind of demand on our system and this kind of impact to our system,” Heather Rosentrater, senior vice president of energy delivery at the utility company, told reporters during a press conference Monday. She called the weather event “very unprecedented.”
As we noted last Friday, “a “historic” heat wave was set to transform the Pacific Northwest into a furnace this weekend. It has the potential to shatter long-standing temperature records.” And that is precisely what it did.
Major metros, such as Portland and Seattle, broke record highs by huge margins as positive temperature anomalies reached between 30 to 40 degrees.
Portland hit 116 degrees by Monday afternoon, the highest temperature in more than eight decades of record-keeping. It was the third day of triple-digit temps.
Seattle recorded 108 degrees Monday afternoon, easily surpassing its previous 103-degree record from 2009. Positive temperature anomalies for the city yesterday were 34 degrees, usually temps average around 74 degrees.
The Pacific Northwest is a region where many people lack central air conditioning and experiencing multiple days of triple-digit weather is hazardous for health.
Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster with the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in College, said it’s unheard of to have temperatures in Portland and Seattle hovering in triple-digit territory. “That just doesn’t occur.”
“Tuesday will likely be the hottest day in recorded history for many sites across the Inland Northwest,” the National Weather Service in Spokane warned.
… and, of course, higher temperatures always indicate increased power demand and skyrocketing prices.
Electricity prices at a Pacific Northwest jumped 435% to $334.22 a megawatt-hour on Monday.
So with sizzling temperatures forecasted for Tuesday, rolling blackouts might expand as power grids in the region are stretched.
In a region so rich with hydro-electric power, and the abandoned potential of nuclear power, there is no excuse for this.
Keep cool FReepers.
Portland hit 116 degrees by Monday afternoon, the highest temperature in more than eight decades
So 80 years ago, before global warming, they had a heat wave.
I read that wrong , 80 years of record keeping, my bad
Gotta say, that is pretty warm..
"Might as well be walking on sun" Smash Mouth 1997
I saw 118 yesterday. (Just north of Portland). A friend in a Portland suburb says she saw 121 for a moment. Reminded me of my time in Vegas.
Yeah, yeah. It got hot for a couple days. Almost as bad as growing up in Kansas, but not near as bad as the summer in Phoenix.
“In a region so rich with hydro-electric power, and the abandoned potential of nuclear power, there is no excuse for this.”
The enviro whackos, BLM and other anti human organizations have controlled Oregone and Washington for decades. The Salmon and some trash fish are more important than humans.
Their mediots will blame Trump and us for this disaster.
114 here yesterday...113 the day before. I would rather have Snow than this...
It was reported today that the Oregon Legislature is passing a bill eliminating all non-green energy generation including the dismantling of hydroelectric dams. Apparently, the dams are bad for the fish even though these dams have fish ladders.
>>Portland hit 116 degrees by Monday afternoon, the highest temperature in more than eight decades of record-keeping
80+ years without reaching that temp does not indicate a “warming trend”.
The hippie liberals in the northwest should shun air conditioning. It’s bad for the planet.
Oven baked hippie liberals, it makes me smile.
Decades ago we were taught that when the Jet Stream makes an omega pattern over a section of the US, and YOU are in the eye of that omega, sell your cattle, forget a garden, water your trees, service your AC system, as you are in for a long HOT, HOT summer. These Omega patterns stay in place till fall.
I noticed the omega pattern is over the NW US right now.
Eliminate sources of electricity, and then mandate electric cars.
What could possibly go wrong?
And here in Albuquerque, after standing at the threshold of 100 degrees for most of the month of June, we’re at a wonderful 65 degrees and some much-needed rain.
It was reported today that the Oregon Legislature is passing a bill eliminating all non-green energy generation including the dismantling of hydroelectric dams. Apparently, the dams are bad for the fish even though these dams have fish ladders.
Blam, they stole our heat! And I don’t mind.
Here in South Central Alabama, we have low 80s all week. I can’t remember a 4th of July without 95+ degrees and high humidity.
forecast for Sunday is 85 degrees and a few showers.
when are the families of the victims of these heat waves going to start to sue the environmental groups that kept them from building the power plants needed to keep people alive in extreme weather?
Meanwhile in Houston..lower 90’s, lots of cooling rain clouds.lol
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