TACOMA — Expect scorching heat to roll around during the first week of July, Washingtonians.
Some areas of the Evergreen State, particularly the east side, are seeing temperatures in the 90s and low 100s following Independence Day. Tri-Cities, for instance, is set to reach a high of 100 degrees on Thursday, per the National Weather Service forecast.
In parts of the west side, like the Puget Sound region, there are slightly cooler temperatures. Tacoma’s temperatures will be in the high 70s most of this week, and Bellingham in the low 80s. Olympia, too, will have temperatures in the high 70s and 80s.
According to NWS Seattle, the Emerald City experienced one of its warmest Independence Days on record. The hot-temperature trend isn’t unique to Washington or even the U.S. On July 4, the planet experienced its warmest day in recorded history at 17.18 degrees Celsius, according to Climate Reanalyzer.
No matter the region, summer heat poses a risk to residents’ safety. In 2021, a scathing heat dome hit Washington, resulting in 100 people dying due to heat-related illness, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
To stay safe, it’s important for residents to stay indoors and in air-conditioned locations if possible. But does using too much electricity during the summertime pose a risk to Washington’s power grid? Also, can the state manually shut off power to residents during times of extreme heat?
Here is what to know.
- Is WA at risk of rolling blackouts or grid failure?
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, which performs quality assessments for North America’s various electric utility systems, notes that Washington and the Pacific Northwest’s electric grid are vulnerable to above-normal temperatures this summer, according to its 2023 Summer Reliability Assessment.
However, the grid is only at an elevated risk if the system is straining to operate during above-normal conditions, such as extreme heat.
A power outage caused by grid failure is different than the state choosing to roll a blackout as a last-ditch effort to keep the grid from short-circuiting. According to energy website Today’s Homeowner, a grid failure occurs when electricity demand exceeds past the grid’s output, ultimately causing it to crash altogether.
Intense heat exacerbates the power grid’s performance, which can result in the entire system failing.
- Can WA state shut down power?
Warm weather can become especially dangerous if residents lose access to power and thus the option to cool their homes during periods of extreme heat. A 2022 study from the University of Washington estimates WA heat-related deaths will increase by 35% by 2030, and even more in decades.
In anticipation of extreme summer heat, the Washington state legislature passed a law in early 2023 that prohibits utility services from shutting off someone’s power due to nonpayment during heat advisory periods. The legislation, which Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law in April, goes into effect July 23.
In general terms, a heat warning is a warning that the National Weather Service issues during times of dangerous heat. The criteria for such as warning depend on the geographic area. For instance, NWS issues a heat warning to a region if its heat index temperature will be 105 degrees or higher and if the nighttime low doesn’t drop below 75 degrees for at least two days.
A heat warning is different from a heat watch, per the NWS. The latter is a lower-level forecast that’s issued 24 to 72 hours prior to incoming heat. A heat warning is issued 12 hours to dangerous heat conditions and serves as a sign to residents to be prepared.
If your power goes out and don’t have an alternative source to stay cool amid the hot weather, you can check online to see how long a power outage is expected to last and if it’s a result of a rolling blackout or grid failure.
The Washington State Department of Commerce has an interactive outage dashboard displays outage information and provides information like when the outage was reported to have occurred, which electric utility company is affected, cause of the outage and an estimate on how long it will take for it to be resolved. The tool also shows how many households are affected.
Anyone can view the tool on the department’s website.
