LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison crews worked today to restore power to tens of thousands of customers blacked out over the weekend as the Southand's first summer heat wave of 2018 wreaked havoc with power supplies.
As of about 6:45 a.m., the LADWP reported about 12,300 customers were off-grid in various areas in its jurisdiction, including 130 in Eagle Rock, 85 in Beverly Grove, 50 in El Sereno, and 45 in Hollywood. Field crews have restored power to about 71,000 customers since Friday, the second day of the heat wave.
Southern California Edison today reported that 500 Los Angeles County customers were without power, 155 in Orange County and 204 in Riverside County.
The DWP warned that people who suffered blackouts may have to wait a day or two for their power to be restored.
Overloaded distribution stations, overheated or overtaxed underground and above-surface lines, and other large equipment failed Friday, when various parts of Los Angeles hit temperature records. It was 117 at Van Nuys Airport and 111 at UCLA that day.
SCE urged its customers to do whatever they could to reduce pressure on the system, such as keeping thermostats at 70 or above, judicious use of air conditioning and use of drapes, curtains and blinds to keep sunlight and heat out of rooms.
DWP officials said Saturday's power demand was the second-highest of any weekend day in the city's history, with peak use exceeding 5,700 megawatts, one day after a July record of 6,256 megawatts was used on Friday, which was the most used for a single day since 2006 when 6,165 megawatts were used.
Temperatures, meanwhile, will continue to run several degrees above normal today. Downtown L.A., for example, will hit a high of 90 -- eight degrees above the average. Burbank, where the normal is now 89, will reach a high of 94.
The heat wave will last until the middle of the week, said National Weather Service weather specialist Stuart Seto, adding that its salient characteristic will be high overnight temperatures. For example, Burbank, whose normal overnight temperature is 60, will have an overnight temperature of 71 this week.
The NWS forecast a mix of mostly cloudy and partly cloudy skies today and highs of 80 at LAX; 83 in Avalon; 89 on Mount Wilson; 90 in Downtown L.A. and Long Beach; 93 in San Gabriel; 94 in Burbank; 96 in Pasadena; 97 in Saugus; 99 in Woodland Hills; 103 in Lancaster and 104 in Palmdale.
Temperatures will be about the same Tuesday, then start a slow cooling trend on Wednesday.
Partly cloudy skies were forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 77 in Laguna Beach; 78 in Newport Beach and San Clemente; 90 in Mission Viejo; 91 in Anaheim; 92 in Irvine and Fullerton; and 94 in Yorba Linda.
Photo: Getty Images