The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories across multiple California regions, including the Central Valley, Bay Area, and Los Angeles, with more severe warnings in Southern California. Temperature forecasts show significant departures from seasonal norms, with Los Angeles-area readings expected between 85 and 105 degrees, San Francisco potentially reaching 86 degrees on Wednesday, and Sacramento forecast to reach 100 degrees on Thursday.
The heightened cooling demand is expected to strain the power grid substantially, especially during evening hours when solar generation declines and consumption typically remains elevated. The California Independent System Operator projects that peak demand will reach 47,379 megawatts on Wednesday, which would remain below the September 2022 record of 52,061 megawatts. CAISO, which operates the grid serving approximately 80 percent of California and a portion of Nevada, forecasts Thursday’s peak demand at approximately 45,183 megawatts.
Wholesale electricity markets are already responding to expectations of surging cooling demand. The Southern California SP15 hub recorded its day-ahead price for Tuesday’s 6 p.m. hour at $87.69 per megawatt-hour, marking the highest hourly rate recorded in just over a week, according to data compiled by grid monitoring firm Arcus Power. Temperature projections indicate that maximum readings across California will peak on Thursday at around 95 degrees before declining to approximately 75 degrees by the middle of the month.
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