Heat Tests Grid, Fire Crews
By Corey Lyons and Amy Chen
Contra Costa Newspapers
July 4, 2001
The Bay Area sweltered through another day of scorching temperatures Tuesday, as the heat briefly wobbled the state power grid and set a few records.
Triple-digit mercury readings were recorded in parts of the East Bay, including 109 degrees in Livermore, which tied a record from the same day in 1950.
Concord topped out at 103, while Oakland set a record of 85 degrees, besting its previous mark of 84 on the same day in 1983.
Forecasters are calling for the hot spell to linger through the rest of the week, cooling slightly over the weekend.
The heat wave is the result of a high-pressure system that anchored itself over the western United States and continues to expand, said meteorologist Steve Anderson of the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, the California Independent System Operator declared a Stage 2 emergency Tuesday morning as power reserves dipped below 5 percent.
"I think we're the only ones wishing for a blackout," said Benicia auto mechanic Jeff SantaMaria, peeking under the hood of a blue Honda.
As the day wore on, the heat climbed, forcing the ISO to launch its new 90-minute "power watch" warning of possible rotating outages.
The warning, intended to give businesses and homeowners a chance to brace for possible outages by curbing energy use, didn't last long.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m., grid managers canceled the notice and averted the possibility of rolling blackouts.
Still, Pacific Gas & Electric urged its customers to conserve energy while the region is being blasted by hot air.
"It's been a quiet day in PG&E land," said spokeswoman Staci Homrig.
Only minor outages were reported in parts of the East Bay on Tuesday. In Moraga, about 350 customers lost power about 11:20 a.m. for less than an hour when electrical lines became entangled in tree branches.
"You want to cool down? Head to the coast," forecaster Anderson said.
Many plan to do just that. With the Fourth of July arriving in the middle of the week, AAA anticipates that 4.5 million Californians will travel between June 30 and July 8. Of those, 93 percent will climb into their cars to do so.
"It's going to spread out traffic," said the American Automobile Association's Bronwyn Hogan. "The roadways will appear less congested because the travel will spread out over a week instead of a long weekend."
Bay Area residents, meanwhile, fought to stave off the sweltering rays Tuesday.
While pumping gas at a Chevron station in Benicia, a letter carrier said he didn't bother turning on his fan because it only circulated hot air.
"This is one of the worst professions to be in right now," said Willie Bautista, whose passenger these days is an ice-cold jug of water.
Demand for air-conditioning unit repairs is high and steady.
"You've got to take care of the elderly, newborn babies, pregnant women and people recovering from heart surgery first," warns Arne Simonsen of Simonsen Mechanical Services in Antioch.
"You have to make priorities. Most people understand. But everyone wants it yesterday."
Contra Costa Newspapers
July 4, 2001
The Bay Area sweltered through another day of scorching temperatures Tuesday, as the heat briefly wobbled the state power grid and set a few records.
Triple-digit mercury readings were recorded in parts of the East Bay, including 109 degrees in Livermore, which tied a record from the same day in 1950.
Concord topped out at 103, while Oakland set a record of 85 degrees, besting its previous mark of 84 on the same day in 1983.
Forecasters are calling for the hot spell to linger through the rest of the week, cooling slightly over the weekend.
The heat wave is the result of a high-pressure system that anchored itself over the western United States and continues to expand, said meteorologist Steve Anderson of the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, the California Independent System Operator declared a Stage 2 emergency Tuesday morning as power reserves dipped below 5 percent.
"I think we're the only ones wishing for a blackout," said Benicia auto mechanic Jeff SantaMaria, peeking under the hood of a blue Honda.
As the day wore on, the heat climbed, forcing the ISO to launch its new 90-minute "power watch" warning of possible rotating outages.
The warning, intended to give businesses and homeowners a chance to brace for possible outages by curbing energy use, didn't last long.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m., grid managers canceled the notice and averted the possibility of rolling blackouts.
Still, Pacific Gas & Electric urged its customers to conserve energy while the region is being blasted by hot air.
"It's been a quiet day in PG&E land," said spokeswoman Staci Homrig.
Only minor outages were reported in parts of the East Bay on Tuesday. In Moraga, about 350 customers lost power about 11:20 a.m. for less than an hour when electrical lines became entangled in tree branches.
"You want to cool down? Head to the coast," forecaster Anderson said.
Many plan to do just that. With the Fourth of July arriving in the middle of the week, AAA anticipates that 4.5 million Californians will travel between June 30 and July 8. Of those, 93 percent will climb into their cars to do so.
"It's going to spread out traffic," said the American Automobile Association's Bronwyn Hogan. "The roadways will appear less congested because the travel will spread out over a week instead of a long weekend."
Bay Area residents, meanwhile, fought to stave off the sweltering rays Tuesday.
While pumping gas at a Chevron station in Benicia, a letter carrier said he didn't bother turning on his fan because it only circulated hot air.
"This is one of the worst professions to be in right now," said Willie Bautista, whose passenger these days is an ice-cold jug of water.
Demand for air-conditioning unit repairs is high and steady.
"You've got to take care of the elderly, newborn babies, pregnant women and people recovering from heart surgery first," warns Arne Simonsen of Simonsen Mechanical Services in Antioch.
"You have to make priorities. Most people understand. But everyone wants it yesterday."
posted by Corey at 12:31 PM
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