200 Million Americans Facing Brutal Heat Raises Alarm Over Power Grid Stability

According to The Weather Channel, more than 200 million Americans will experience temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit through the end of the week. 

At least 105 million people in 28 states across the Central and Northeast US are under heat advisories or warnings.

“Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories are in effect this morning throughout 28 states, stretching from California to New Hampshire. High temperatures into the 90s and 100s will increase the risk of heat related illnesses,” the National Weather Service said. 

Metro areas like Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa could be much hotter than the rest of the country. The three could record temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit. 

“Another day of exceptional heat lies ahead with triple-digit highs forecast for all of North and Central Texas,” NWS in Fort Worth wrote in a weather note. 

So what’s behind the scorching hot temperatures? We told readers two weeks ago that a strong heat dome was stuck over Central US, baking tens of millions of people in above-normal to new record high temperatures. Now the heat dome is broadening, headed to the Mid-Atlantic and North East. 

The Washington–Baltimore metropolitan area to New York could see the hottest weather all summer this week. 

With two-thirds of the country facing extreme heat, cooling demand is surging, which could strain power grids across the country. Texas has asked customers to restrict power usage several times, and factories have dialed back production to conserve power. 

Natural gas futures jumped as high as 10% to $8/mmbtu on Nymex as millions of households and businesses turned down their thermostats, fueling demand for power-plant fuel.

Before summer, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a regulatory body that manages grid stability, released an alarming report about increasing heatwaves and risks of rolling blackouts across the country. 

Will America’s power grids survive this brutal summer?