Extreme Heat + Broken Gas & Coal Plants Threaten Texas Grid

Dangerously high temperatures are gripping the West, with more to life- and grid-threatening heat expected in the coming days.

Phoenix hit at least 113°F over the weekend and temperatures from the Southwest to Northern Rockies are forecast to be 15–25°F above average.

Texas officials are already asking customers to conserve electricity, as the extreme heat, combined with multiple gas and coal plants broken down and offline for repairs, have created an unusual early electricity shortfall just months after widespread blackouts led to hundreds of deaths across the state.

Climate change makes extreme heat and heatwaves longer, more frequent, and more intense. Combined with the current climate-fueled megadrought, wildfire danger is also exceptionally high.

Nearly 40 million people as far north as the Canadian Border could see triple-digit highs this week, and some parts of Arizona, including Phoenix, could see overnight lows in the 90s, which are often more dangerous because the human body is deprived of its nocturnal cool-down period and and cooling shelters for those without air-conditioners are closed. The heat will also be especially deadly for those who work outside like farmworkers and cannot escape the heat without risking loss of income.

Sources: Washington Post $, Earther, NBC, Axios; Texas gas & coal breakdowns: Forbes, Bloomberg $; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves, Drought, Wildfires

Originally published by Nexus Media.