Comment OAKLAND, Calif. — California and the western United States are in the grip of a historically severe September heat wave that is forecast to intensify early this week. Record-breaking temperatures are stressing power grids, fueling wildfires and endangering health. The prolonged heat wave began on August 30 and is forecast to peak on Monday and Tuesday before gradually easing in the second half of the week. Dozens of high temperature records have already been broken from California to Montana, and dozens more are predicted. On Saturday, many cities in the Intermountain West experienced the hottest temperatures on record not just for September 3rd but for the entire month. Salt Lake City (which reached 103 degrees), Pocatello, Idaho, (102 degrees) and Great Falls, Mont. (102 points) was among them. California’s Death Valley floods weeks after wettest day on record “This is the worst September heat wave in western US history without a doubt,” Maximiliano Herrera, a global weather historian, tweeted Saturday night. In California’s Death Valley, the temperature has topped 120 degrees for five straight days and is forecast to approach the September world record high of 126 degrees on Tuesday. Climate scientists have found that human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, frequency and duration of heat waves like this one. Nearly 50 million people are under extreme heat warnings or advisories early this week from California to Idaho.
Energy conservation is encouraged With temperatures forecast to soar into the 90s and 100s across much of the state on Sunday, California’s Independent System Operator (ISO), which oversees the electric grid, issued its fifth consecutive “Flex Notice” calling for energy conservation between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to avoid interruptions. Demand on Thursday peaked at 47,357 megawatts, the highest load since September 2017, but usage fell slightly on Friday and Saturday. “California consumers and businesses responded to our Flex Alert calls with helpful reductions in electricity use during the grid’s busiest hours,” California ISO CEO Elliot Mainzer said in a video update Saturday. “Collaboration like this makes a real difference, so thank you all for your help.” The agency is bracing for peak demand on Tuesday of more than 50,000 megawatts. The punishing heat has sparked several fast-moving wildfires. In far northern California, near the town of Weed, firefighters are battling the Mill and nearby mountain fires. The Mill Fire, which was 25 percent contained Saturday night, destroyed 50 structures, prompted evacuations and injured many people. Both fires broke out on Friday. The Route Fire, which broke out Wednesday east of Los Angeles, has burned more than 5,200 acres and at least eight firefighters have suffered heat-related injuries while battling the flames. By Sunday morning the fire had been contained by 87%. Several wildfires have also broken out in Oregon, whose billowing plumes of smoke were visible from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite on Saturday. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) declared a state of emergency a week ago because of the wildfire threat. The National Interagency Fire Center’s Forecast Services is warning of “high risk” conditions for many parts of California and the Mountain West. During a news conference about the September heat wave, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Aug. 31 said that “we live in a time of extremes.” (Video: The Washington Post)
Hazardous conditions in the Central Valley The next few days are forecast to be some of the most extreme heat in California’s Central Valley. Sacramento has already reached the century mark four days in a row and is projected to see six more. The National Weather Service says it has a 67 percent chance of matching September’s record high of 109 on Tuesday. People who must work outdoors during the heat wave are at particular risk, and the California Department of Industrial Relations issued an advisory earlier in the week reminding employers of their legal obligation to protect workers by providing adequate water, shade and rest. Cynthia Burgos, a farmer in Bakersfield, where temperatures are forecast to reach 111 degrees Tuesday, has plenty of experience in the heat, harvesting carrots. “Around 10 or 11 in the morning, it’s already very hot and the moisture in the ground starts to rise,” he said through a translator. “It’s just a miserable experience.” Farmers have collapsed and even died in these conditions. On a day last year that topped 100 degrees, Burgos and other workers went on strike because the only drinking water was extremely hot. He’s not working during this heat wave because he’s been on leave to campaign for a state bill that would expand union voting rights for farmers. “It shouldn’t be the workers’ job. It is the responsibility of employers to provide a safe work environment,” said Elizabeth Strater of the United Farm Workers union. “The hotter it gets, the more they seem to give up.”
Beating the heat in the Bay Area In the Bay Area, coastal areas have seen lower temperatures in the 60s to low 80s, but inland cities have reached the 90s, with several areas expected to top 100 for the next days in a row. As a precaution, the East Bay Regional District is closing most of its local parks for Sunday and Monday to limit the chances of visitors starting a fire. “What makes this heat wave different is the duration,” said meteorologist Sarah McCorkle of the National Weather Service’s San Francisco Bay Area office. In some places, he said, 100-degree heat can last more than seven days, which is unusual. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” In the East Bay town of Dublin, Calif., Saturday afternoon, the temperature was in the mid-90s and three members of the Ting family were about to head to the movies for two movies in a row. “Yesterday we had two power outages, one in the middle of the night and one during the day,” Mike Ting said. His wife, Nola Ting, teaches at a nearby elementary school that opened early Friday because of a power outage. A national promotion offering cheap movie tickets for a day is what drove the family to the theater, but they said they appreciate the air conditioning. “Whenever it’s hot, it’s always fun to do something cool in the middle of the day,” Mike Ting said. “I hope things get better soon.”
Soulier of Southern California The heat has been relentless in Southern California since the middle of last week. Burbank soared to 112 degrees on Wednesday and has topped 100 every day since. On Saturday, even typically mild San Diego hit a record high of 95 degrees. UPS driver Jared Hamil of Los Angeles said he recorded a temperature of 131 degrees in the back of his truck on Friday. “It’s like being in an oven,” he said. Hamil reports that his truck does not have air conditioning or a fan, and he sometimes has to spend several minutes in the back looking for a package. In the short term, to help ease the burden on drivers on hot days, the company is proposing to send more trucks and break up routes into smaller chunks to give workers shorter days. He adds that in his experience, managers don’t always understand the arrangements people make for their health. “Stop harassing people when they’re taking a rest break or going to use the bathroom,” he said. Matthew O’Connor, director of media relations for UPS, provided an emailed statement from the company saying “the health and safety of our employees is our highest priority.” He cited the company’s efforts during the heat wave to prevent workers from overheating, including providing water, ice, electrolytes, fruit, cooling uniforms and towels, and said UPS is in the process of installing fans in the vehicles.
Climate Change Connections Research meteorologist Alexander Gershunov of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said heat waves are becoming more frequent and more intense around the world, and California, in particular, is becoming wetter. “With higher humidity, temperatures don’t drop as much at night,” he said. “And in terms of the health effects, it pretty much takes away the night’s rest we need to deal with another hot day.” He said these general trends were no surprise to the researchers. Of all extreme weather events, heat waves are “the most closely linked and directly affected by global warming.” Samenow reported from Washington.
