Threat Of Rolling Blackouts Triggers Flex Alert In Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — With no signs of heatwave letting up until the weekend, state authorities extended a Flex Alert through Friday to avoid the risk of blackouts caused by strain on the electric grid.

Extreme heat continued to bake much of the state Thursday. In places such as Palm Springs, the heat reached a deadly 123 degrees Thursday, tying the city's all-time heat record.

Due to the soaring temperatures in the Southland and beyond, a Flex Alert became necessary Thursday and Friday, according to the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid. The alert will take effect again from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday.

A Flex Alert is a call for voluntary energy conservation, essentially a plea for residents across the state to cut their power use to reduce overall demand and lower the risk of outages.

Around midday Wednesday, Cal-ISO projected it would have adequate energy supplies through Thursday, although it urged residents "to remain vigilant" in case demand suddenly increased and threatened the availability of power reserves.

But shortly after 2 p.m., Cal-ISO announced plans for the Flex Alert.

According to Cal-ISO, residents are urged to take steps prior to the alert taking effect, such as pre-cooling their homes, using major appliances and closing window coverings to preserve cool air indoors. Once the alert takes effect, residents should set their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, avoid using major appliances and turn off all unnecessary lights.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.