Thermostat warning issued as extreme heat threatens to overwhelm US power grid
The extreme heat was expected to push ‘real-feel’ temperatures to 100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 to 46.1 degrees Celsius) across much of the region (NOAA)
Officials are urging residents and business owners to set their thermostats no lower than 78 degrees Fahrenheit as a heatwave brings extreme temperatures to the eastern U.S. and threatens power grids.
“Feels-like” temperatures are expected to reach 100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 to 46.1 degrees Celsius) as the intense heat, mirroring the heatwave recently experienced in western Europe, bakes the U.S. through July 4 weekend.
The extreme heat is raising significant concerns about heat-related illnesses, particularly for vulnerable populations, and threatens to strain power grids that are already strained by rising consumption from data centers and electric vehicles.
Ahead of the heatwave, New York City leaders asked operators of signs in the city’s iconic Times Square to reduce the brightness of their billboards to lower energy consumption, and requested that businesses set thermostats no lower than 78 degrees. The city’s energy provider, Con Edison, urged customers to limit energy use from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Scientists link the intensity and likelihood of such heatwaves to human-induced climate change, mirroring a recent event in western Europe deemed “virtually impossible” without greenhouse gas emissions.
