PHOENIX — Extreme heat sizzled across the U.S. Southwest again on Wednesday after ramping up electricity use so much in the Phoenix area that a major utility broke a record.
PHOENIX — Extreme heat sizzled across the U.S. Southwest again on Wednesday after ramping up electricity use so much in the Phoenix area that a major utility broke a record.
The National Weather Service office in Phoenix said highs in southern Arizona and southeast California ranged from 113 degrees (45 Celsius) to 118 degrees (48 Celsius) on Wednesday, with a little relief expected Thursday for some in Arizona.
The Salt River Project utility that delivers electricity to some 2 million customers in Phoenix and the rest of central Arizona said demand was so great between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday that it set a record of 7,252 megawatts to retail customers.
That topped the utility’s previous system peak of 7,219 megawatts on June 20, 2017. One megawatt is enough to power about 225 average homes.
The utility said the increased demand was the result of this week’s extreme temperatures, which on Tuesday reached 116 degrees (46 Celsius) in Phoenix, a tie with city’s record high set in 2014. Most of Arizona and parts of California, Nevada and Utah have been under an extreme heat warning this week.
Las Vegas authorities said the city could see the hottest weather this year, while fire officials warned that conditions could be dangerous. Las Vegas reached a high of 112 (44 Celsius) on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service said a new high of 127 degrees (52.7 Celsius) was set at California’s Death Valley on Tuesday.
Tucson recorded 112 degrees (44 Celsius) on Tuesday, its hottest July temperature since 1995 and city’s fourth hottest July day on record.
