Cal ISO issues Flex Alert Monday amid heat wave and threat of fire on power lines – CBS Los Angeles

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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The independent California system operator issued another statewide Flex alert for Monday, urging residents to conserve energy between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

U.S. Ranger Jeannette Jurado takes a surface temperature reading from an unofficial thermometer showing 132 degrees Fahrenheit at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center on July 11, 2021 in Death Valley National Park, Calif. (Getty Images)

This is the third Flex Alert in the past four days. Cal ISO, the independent, non-profit agency that oversees the state’s power grid, issues a Flex Alert when high energy use threatens to strain the state’s power grid.

The pressure on the grid results from a combination of extreme heat in several parts of the state and a growing wildfire in southern Oregon that damaged transmission lines used to provide electricity to California.

During a Flex alert, people are urged to keep their air conditioning thermostats at least 78 degrees and to limit the use of major appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers. They should also turn off lights and unplug cell phone chargers when not in use.

The Bootleg Fire in the Fremont-Winema National Forest in southern Oregon burned more than 146,000 acres. The blaze continues to pose a threat to Path 66 – a vital power line corridor connecting the California power grid to providers in the Pacific Northwest, according to CBS San Francisco.

“The transmission lines, knocked out by the Bootleg Fire in Oregon, are still out of service, cutting power supplies down to 5,500 megawatts typically imported into California and other balancing authorities in southern Oregon, ”Cal ISO tweeted Sunday.

Meanwhile, temperatures are expected to soar in the Antelope Valley on Friday. An excessive heat warning is in place until 9 p.m. for the towns of Palmdale and Lancaster, which could reach a high of 110 degrees.

A heat advisory is also in place until 9 p.m. for the mountains of Los Angeles County, excluding the Santa Monica Mountains, with temperatures in those areas reaching 107 degrees.

According to CBSLA meteorologist Amber Lee, temperatures are expected to cool slightly by the middle of the week as a high pressure system that is over the region moves east.



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