Temperatures soared well above 100 Fahrenheit in many of the inland valleys, reaching 107 F in parts of Northern California's Shasta and Tehama counties and 108 F in Southern California's Imperial County on the Mexican border.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe extreme conditions were the latest sign of the impact of climate change in the U.S. West, where wildfires and severe drought have emerged as a growing threat.
On Wednesday, California ISO projected power demand would peak at 44,919 megawatts , the highest since September 2020 when usage hit 47,236 MW. One megawatt can power around 1,000 U.S. homes on a typical day, but only about half that on a hot summer day. The heat on Wednesday also raised the risk of wildfires. The Wishon Fire, a 350-acre blaze in the Sequoia National Forest, was 45% contained.