Why it matters: Heat waves are becoming more intense, more frequent and longer lasting due to human-caused climate change, and such events are stressing our energy infrastructure in new ways.
A historic heat wave is affecting the West, breaking all-time, monthly and daily records and putting the California electricity grid to test. The heat is relentless, potentially peaking Tuesday but sticking around straight through the upcoming weekend.
The big picture: The immediate cause of the heat wave is an unusually strong area of high pressure, or heat dome, that is parked over the western U.S., causing air to sink and dry out, stifling any widespread rainfall.
California ISO, the state's grid operator, declared a stage 3 energy alert Tuesday, urging residents to reduce energy use and warning that rotating power outages were "very possible" as record heat wave pummels the western U.S.
The latest: The alert ended at 8pm local time "with no load sheds for the night," the ISO tweeted. It added: "Consumer conservation played a big part in protecting electric grid reliability. Thank you, California!"
One of the U.S. West's worst-ever September heat waves is bringing a prolonged period of record-shattering temperatures to at least a half-dozen states this week.
The big picture: Numerous monthly and all-time temperature records began to tumble in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere in California on Monday. More records are likely to be threatened into the coming weekend.
The rapidly growing Fairview Fire near Hemet, California, killed at least two people and wounded another during the historic heat wave that's engulfing much of the West, per Cal Fire.
By the numbers: The wildfire grew by 500 acres one hour after igniting some 80 miles east of Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, according to Cal Fire. By late Monday, it had grown to 2,000 acres and was 5% contained, the Riverside County Fire Department tweeted.
Thousands of customers were without power in California Monday night due to the intensifying record heat wave that's hitting much of the U.S. West.
By the numbers: Nearly 67,000 Californian customers were without power on Monday night, according to poweroutage.us. Ongoing power outages were affecting over 40,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers across 28 counties, mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area's Contra Costa County, per a PG&E update.
