Record heat stifles Sonoma County as threat of rolling blackouts looms

California’s electricity grid operator on Sunday warned statewide, rolling blackouts are likely through Wednesday, urging residents to reduce energy consumption while the state swelters through a historic heat wave.

With temperatures expected to soar well into the triple digits in many parts of the state, there will not be sufficient energy to meet demand, according to the California Independent System Operator, a nonprofit corporation that manages the state’s $9 billion electricity market. It called rolling outages “likely” in a Sunday news release.

The announcement comes just two days after rolling blackouts cut power to 42,400 Sonoma County customers Friday. It precedes the start of online classes for most K-12 students in the county and the resumption of classes at Sonoma State University this week.

“It’s very confusing and very alarming at the moment,” Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin said in a phone interview Sunday. “We have so many elements of potential danger — rolling blackouts, extreme heat, thunderstorms.”

Gorin said residents should prepare for the possibility of rolling blackouts and encouraged people to check in on friends and neighbors during what’s sure to be a trying few days.

In issuing a Flex Alert on Sunday afternoon, the California Independent System Operator pleaded with residents to limit electricity use between 3-10 p.m. by dialing thermostats to 78 or higher, sparing stove usage and putting off laundry and dish washer use until cooler hours.

California ISO ordered the first rolling outages in nearly 20 years on Friday when it directed utilities around the state to shed their power loads. The state’s three biggest utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric — turned off power to more than 410,000 homes and businesses for about an hour at a time until the emergency declaration ended 3 1/2 hours later.

The ISO instituted a second, but shorter, rolling outage Saturday evening that cut power to more than 200,000 customers.

PG&E spokeswoman Angela Lombardi said the utility has little notice ahead of shutdowns.

“When CAL ISO orders these, PG&E needs to execute it immediately, and the expectation is that we are to complete the operation within 10 minutes,” Lombardi said, adding that predicting energy demands is trickier amid a pandemic that has forced many to spend more time at home.

PG&E alerted customers in San Francisco, San Mateo and Contra Costa counties that as many as 210,000 of them could lose power in rolling blackouts Sunday night, but reversed course hours later, declaring no shutoffs would be necessary and demonstrating the fluidity of the crisis.

Sonoma County will likely face challenges of its own through Wednesday as the heat wave lingers into the middle of the week. Forecasts call for a high of 103 in Santa Rosa on Monday, with temperatures reaching 105 in Cloverdale and Healdsburg, National Weather Service meteorologist Will Pi said.

Santa Rosa hit 106 last Friday, marking a daily record. Petaluma set its own record at 104, 5 degrees hotter than the record for the day set last year.

“These are the highest temperatures, the records for the date,” Pi said. “In some places, they’re getting pretty close to the all-time high.”

Santa Rosa’s record high is 113 degrees, set more than 100 years ago, on July 11, 1913.

In response to the stifling conditions, Sonoma County will open cooling stations 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Building, 126 1st St. West, and the Cloverdale Senior Center, 311 N. Main St.

Due to the pandemic, there will be mandatory COVID-19 screenings, including temperature checks, at both locations, county spokesman Paul Gullixson said. Residents will be required to maintain social distance and wear facial coverings.

Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Healdsburg will also open cooling stations. Santa Rosa will offer space at the Rincon Valley Library, 6959 Montecito Blvd., and at the Salvation Army Senior Center, 115 Pierce St. Both sites are open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

The Petaluma Community Center, 320 North McDowell Blvd., will be open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. And Healdsburg will open shelters from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday at City Hall, 401 Grove St., and the Healdsburg Senior Center, 133 Matheson St.

The heat sent Californians to outdoor spaces and waterways, even as officials worried about the risk of increased coronavirus transmission. The state reported another 77 deaths Sunday, bringing total deaths in California from the virus above 11,200.

Supervisor James Gore, whose north county district caught fire last October during a power shutoff, reflected on the gauntlet of challenges facing county leaders and residents, from the pandemic to the heat wave and power shutdowns.

“I’ll tell you, one of the greatest ironies is that all of these different disruptions come down to not just doing the right thing for yourself, but doing the right thing for everyone,” Gore said. “Yes, it’s inconvenient to turn off your air conditioner. Yes, it’s inconvenient to wear a mask.”

Gore issued a challenge to residents to do their part.

“We live in the age of disruption. You can’t own this kind of disruption just though institutions,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Tyler Silvy at 707-526-8667 or tyler.silvy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @tylersilvy