wunderground.com
Posted on 07/22/2006 7:12:25 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO
Triple digit temperatures smashed records across California Saturday, straining thermometers and air conditioners and prompting dozens of scattered electricity outages that left residents sizzling.
A major Northern California power plant tripped off line as temperatures climbed, trimming electricity reserves below acceptable levels and prompting the state's grid manager to declare a "stage one emergency" while calling for conservation.
No relief was expected until at least midweek from a weather front that sent temperatures soaring even along the normally cool California coast and brought Midwest-style humidity steaming into the usually arid Central Valley.
Heat records were set throughout the San Francisco Bay area, including Livermore with 115 degrees, San Rafael with 108 degrees, and San Jose at 102 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. San Francisco's 87 degrees topped an 81 degree record set in 1917.
"All around the Bay area we're breaking records today," said Brooke Bingaman, a NWS meteorologist in Monterey.Temperatures were expected to cool overnight, though it may take several days for the hottest areas to feel relief, she said.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District declared Sunday the year's eighth "Spare the Air" day, urging residents to conserve electricity and use public transportation to combat high air pollution levels.
Emergency workers scrambled to help heat exposure victims in downtown Los Angeles, where 99 degree temperatures broke the 96-degree record set in 1960.
The thermometer at Los Angeles International Airport read 86 degrees by early afternoon, breaking the 85-degree high set in 1960. Temperatures in Los Angeles' Woodland Hills section were expected to top the all-time record of 116 degrees set in 1985.
"We encourage everyone, especially the elderly and very young, to remain hydrated," said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Ballton.
Records were set or tied at all five Central Valley recording locations: 109 degrees in Sacramento, 111 in Redding, and 112 in Red Bluff, Stockton and Modesto.
Power use across the state broke records Friday and again Saturday unusual because it was the weekend.
"We are drawing on all available power," said Paul Moreno, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which serves about 14 million people in northern and central California.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and San Diego Gas & Electric also reported a second day of record-breaking power consumption, but said they could meet demand.
"This is a record for a weekend when offices and factories are closed. This is a record for anytime," Moreno said. "People have been good about conserving, but sooner or later fatigue sets in."
Power generators urged consumers to set air conditioners to 78 degrees or higher, use fans, pull drapes and turn off unnecessary lights and appliances.
The California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid, isn't predicting deliberate rolling blackouts of the sort that darkened the state during the shortages of 2000 and 2001.
But dozens of localized electricity outages in the Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco Bay areas were blamed on high demand that overloaded equipment, leaving thousands of residents stifling in the heat.
More than 50,000 people in the Bay Area were without power Saturday afternoon because of heat-related outages, said PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno. Power was expected to be restored to most people by Saturday night or early Sunday morning, but customers were told to brace for more outages as the high temperatures continued.
A collision of two unusual weather patterns has helped turn the state into a sauna for a week, said National Weather Service forecaster Kathy Hoxsie in Sacramento.
A weak marine layer off the Pacific means higher temperatures along the coast and inland. Meanwhile, "monsoonal moisture" from Mexico that usually heads to Arizona this time of year is covering California instead.
That has brought lightning storms in the Sierra Nevada mountains instead of thunderstorms in the Southwest states, and high humidity and hot nights to a region known for its "dry heat" and nighttime cooling.
Meanwhile, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health was probing the state's first suspected work-related death caused by heat this year.
Investigators believe Bakersfield gardener Joaquin Ramirez, 38, may have died of heat stroke after collapsing on the job late Wednesday, said division spokesman Dean Fryer. Last year, Cal-OSHA reported a record-breaking 13 heat-related deaths, most involving construction and agricultural workers.
The Kern County Coroner's office was investigating whether scorching temperatures were responsible for four deaths over the past two weeks.
____
Associated Press writers Eric Berkowitz in Los Angeles and Jordan Robertson in San Francisco contributed to this report.
wunderground.com
You're a scattered outage,, again. Hang in there.
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies.)
My power went out (Sacramento) @ 3:45 p.m.; back on @ 4:25 p.m. I was getting ready to evacuate the popcycles to a friend's house. It's 108 right now.
About 10 years ago it got up to 114 and the power went out for a few hours. I'll never forget seeing a pregnant lady in the complex pool, ciggie in one hand, drinksky in the other. I was wondering if the heat was giving me nightmarish visions.
KYOTO would have saved us all!!
All those enlightened libs out there should take one for the team and turn the air off for a few days. Any takers? I guess those folks who love to claim we are killing the planet don't mind as long as they are cool and comfy.
Of course, power consumption goes up when everyday more people buy AC units, hell when I was a kid (I'm only 36) two or three people I knew had AC, everybody else had fans.
80 years ago fans were a luxury. Now everybody even welfare slags have AC.
Surely the enviroweenies aren't still using their AC and contributing to the pollution of our planet are they?
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies.)
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies.)
Even Eureka was a scorching........72 degrees?
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies.)
Umm, pardon, that begs a compound question.
Were you horrified by seeing a pregnant woman splashing in water, were you mortified by the combination of the pregnant woman floating about with a cigarette, or did you finally give in to your nightmarish vision with the addition of the adult beverage.
Oh, it seems, by your own anecdotal testimony, you were paying close attention.
What was the drink? Was was the trimester of pregnancy, and was that her first cigarette?
Yeah, I work outside all day in Florida and I keep my thermostat set at 82. Makes it feel like winter when I get home. ;-)
A little after noon, it was 102, which is higher than I recall seeing. Then it just started climbing, about 1 degree every 10 minutes.
we finally broke 100 , still a nudge over it right now, I had 105 or so a little earlier on the back yard thermometer, dang pool is 85,,
Glendale has been having problems all day....they have been shutting off pieces of the network that start smoking....either shut the power off, or have the transformer blow and there will be an extended outage. Montrose has been hit hard too
Burbank had some circuit trip on the north end, but it appears to be working okay now. I dont ever remember it being 111 in Burbank....at least since I have been paying attention.
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