Extreme heat in US Northwest hitting infrastructure | Business and Economic Affairs

Extreme heat waves that wreak havoc in the northwestern US region are wreaking havoc on the region’s infrastructure, highways, state traffic and power outages.

Avista Corp. – which serves about 340,000 customers in eastern Washington, Idaho and Oregon – set out for the first time in industrial history the temperature was rising. The temporary shutdown has affected nearly 4,667 customers since Tuesday, with 21,000 warning of a possible collapse, the company said. The heat also engulfed Seattle highways and burned down railways in Portland, halting operations.

The warming of the Pacific Northwest in the Northwest is a recent sign that unprecedented catastrophes are taking place this summer. Temperatures, droughts and wildfires linked to climate change have regulators trying to turn off power and prevent deaths related to the heat of the estimated 650 US lives each year. President Joe Biden is meeting with Western Governors on Wednesday to discuss how to deal with wildfires.

In Portland, mercury hit 116 degrees Fahrenheit (47 Celsius) Monday, the third consecutive year, while Seattle turned 108, the National Weather Service said. Lytton, British Columbia – a mountainous region with rivers covered with glaciers – has reached 118, a new history in Canada just a day after its collapse since 1937.

“I have never seen anything like it in 40 years,” said Paul Walker, a meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. at State College, Pennsylvania.

Biden said Tuesday that the northwest temperatures show why good electrical networks are needed because climate change makes climate events more frequent and more dangerous.

“We need to make money to get a sustainable grid,” Biden told Wisconsin, referring to a typical Texas hurricane that caused the power grid to collapse. “That’s why we need to take action,” he said.

Meanwhile, the northeast is reverting to heat from Pennsylvania to Maine that could push New York into the 90’s, says Weather Weather. The humidity is making it even hotter this week, driving the power supply across an area that relies on air conditioners to beat the summer heat.

Consolidated Edison Inc. asked about 270,000 customers elsewhere in Queens and Manhattan to save power Tuesday evening as the company repairs equipment. Users were advised not to use electrical appliances such as washers and dryers. The New York office also said it had reduced volume by 5% for weapons protection.

Boston recorded a daily record 97 on Monday, the 10th time this year the city won 90, while Newark recorded 99. The temperature on the East Coast will still be different from the Northwest as it will change in the coming days, with only 77 Rain and Vision New York Friday.

“It’s all over the place, which is asking people things that are already difficult,” said Scott Miller, executive director of the Western Power Trading Forum. “There is no small spread around every generation. People are not accustomed to having such heat in the Pacific Northwest. ”

The rising temperatures sent the future of gas to almost three decades and raised electricity prices, despite triggering a series of power grid warnings in eastern countries. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which stretches from central Canada to the Gulf Coast, warned of a drop in power overnight due to pressure.

Other over-the-counter Avista devices may need to be operated if the temperature continues throughout the week, and the need to increase and reduce plague controls and reopen the economy, Miller said.

Newly strong futures prices in New England rose 13% on Tuesday to the highest level this year since 2008, while New York City prices have risen 20% to the highest season since 2012, Wood Mackenzie data shows.

Seattle’s heat also led to the cooling off of ground appliances, which are difficult to repair due to the extreme heat in the electric rooms, say city officials. About 11,000 customers had no power for a full hour Monday.

In California, where grid users can ask to be kept safe to avoid leaks, dry leaves helped the Lava Fire near Mount Shasta explode its size overnight. Officials have ordered the evacuation and closed roads, a sign of a difficult summer to come in the winter.

In the Northwest, some cold in Seattle and Portland is close to where winds from the Pacific pitch forcing the east east beyond the Cascade Range, although most of the area in the region will be in the 90’s. they are often lukewarm, even irritating.

In Vancouver, people fleeing air-conditioned homes flocked to the city’s hotels, sitting in line for hours in long queues to watch. The increase in electrical power disrupted the record with more than 600 megawatts, almost the same as other coal-fired power plants.