The Woodland Hills district of Los Angeles, California, on Sunday recorded a historic temperature pick-up in the county at 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49.4 °C), according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The previous high happened in 2006 when it reached 119 degrees.
High temperatures due to countless forest fires
Temperatures are expected to drop from this Monday. Meanwhile, the fires continue to sling the state because the heat wave doesn’t stop in California.
In addition to the all-time high in Woodland Hills, Riverside reached its highest temperature in September at 117 degrees, Santa Ana broke his record with 106 and Escondido reached an all-time high of 115 degrees, breaking a record set in 1909. Paso Robles also surpassed his record with 117, as did Idyllwild (104) and Chino (121).
Here are the two sites that broke their all-time high temperature records today. 121° was the highest ever recorded at an official site in L.A. County. Ditto for Paso Robles 117° in San Luis Obispo County. Burbank tied all-time high of 114° from yesterday. #cawx #LAheat #Socal pic.twitter.com/5c4FH3GMme
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) September 7, 2020
Malibu Search and Rescue, a unit within the sheriff’s department, said he responded to several heat-related rescues on Saturday.
Although starting on Monday some regions will see temperatures drop by up to 10 degrees, many will still reach three digits. Due to the heat, demand for energy supply has soared, and thousands of people ran out of electricity on Saturday throughout the region. This lawsuit could still lead to blackouts, according to the authorities.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO), which operates the large part of the state’s power grid, predicts that peak demand will exceed supply by about 4,000 megawatts, which could force utility companies to cut off power to between 2.5 million and 3 million customers across the state Eric Schmidt, Vice President of Operations, California ISO, said Sunday at a press conference.
The company urges consumers to conserve energy, especially between 3 and 6 p.m., which is the peak demand schedule.
“I think it’s fair to say that without the help of customers we’ll have to have some cuts. This is a call for people to help us get through what will turn out to be a very, very difficult day” Schmidt said.
Firefighters work hard to put out fires
California’s wave of heat continues to fuel the fires. More than 14,800 firefighters are fighting fire and more than two million acres of land have already been consumed this year by flames.
On Saturday morning, one of the 23 major wildfires in the state was caused by a pyrotechnic device used at a “gender disclosure” party, a celebration that takes place during pregnancy to publicize the sex of the baby, authorities confirmed.
The fire broke out at El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, about 72 miles (115 kilometers) east of Los Angeles and was caused by a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention in a statement.
By Sunday night, the flames were only 5% contained and had already burned 7,050 acres, according to the California fire department.
