Power outages likely as California sees its worst heat wave for September

A record-setting heat wave made life miserable in much of the West on Tuesday, with California stretching into its second week of excessive heat that taxed the state’s power supply and threatened power shortages that could prompt blackouts while people were desperately trying to stay cool.

The California Independent System Operator, the entity that oversees the state’s electrical grid, said there could be rotating power outages” Tuesday evening when demand for power could reach an all-time high.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom urged residents to conserve, warning in a video message that the risk for outages is real and it’s immediate.