Hundreds remain without power in LA amid heat wave
NORTHRIDGE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Utility crews in Southern California worked to restore power to hundreds of homes and businesses Wednesday as temperatures climbed again amid a week-long heat wave.
By approximately 6 a.m., power was restored to roughly 10,500 customers in the Northridge area, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials said.
Utility crews in Northridge were installing temporary voltage equipment to help with the outage.
But outages remained in other pockets of the city. The DWP said at least 1,900 customers were still without power as of noon.
The DWP urged Angelenos to conserve power as the demand for air conditioning was expected to continue straining the power grid all week as temperatures remained in the triple digits in the San Fernando Valley and other communities in the area. Woodland Hills in the West Valley is expected to hit 111 degrees Wednesday.
"The combination of strong high pressure and weak onshore flow will continue to produce dangerously hot temperatures across the region through at least the end of the week and possibly into the labor day weekend," according to a National Weather Service statement, which predicted more heat records a day after a few were set.
Many Southern Californians were left without power since Tuesday, as scattered outages hit parts of Los Angeles amid a scorching heat wave.
At first nearly 3,500 customers were without power, but within a few hours the number swelled. Temperatures topped out to about 109 degrees in the area during the afternoon.
The outages came after California energy authorities urged voluntary conservation of electricity as a wave of triple-digit heat strained the state's power grid.
The California Independent System Operator issued a flex alert Tuesday for 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., the period when air conditioners are typically at peak use and consumers should avoid running major appliances.
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Energy demand for the day was forecast to exceed 48,000 megawatts, which would be the highest demand on the grid so far this year.
The excessive heat warning is expected to stay in place until 10 p.m. Friday.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
