The sun is more than 90 million miles away from the earth.
This week it felt as if parts of San Diego County were breaking out of their orbit and heading straight for the surface of the sun.
Thursday was the hottest day in the county in four years. Heat beat down on hospitals, burned playgrounds and cooked tents. Temperatures rose to triple digits in several neighborhoods: Escondido hit 40 degrees, as did Gillespie Field. Parts of El Cajon and Santee reached even higher temperatures, while Ramona reached 40 degrees.
“The high pressure system is here to stay,” said Dan Munyan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “Temperatures will rise to the highs of 90 and lows of 100 degrees by Monday, and there will be little relief at night.”
The agency extended its heat warning for areas east of Interstate 15 through at least Monday.
Good news: the air conditioning should still work.
“The power grid is currently stable,” California’s grid operator, which controls the flow of electricity across much of the state, said in a statement. Officials added that there were no immediate plans to issue a Flex Alert urging citizens to reduce their energy use.
That’s a change from two years ago. On September 6, 2022, Californians consumed more than 52,000 megawatts of electricity, an all-time high, and residents received nearly a dozen Flex Alerts over the course of the year. For comparison, on Thursday afternoon, demand was around 35,200 megawatts.
The state’s grid operator called on citizens to “be ready in case we have to call for voluntary savings.”
And yet thousands of people across the country can hardly rely on electricity supplies.
More than 6,100 people were living in tents, vehicles or on the streets earlier this year, and social workers have scrambled to distribute water bottles. “We’re distributing boxes upon boxes upon boxes,” said Bob McElroy, CEO of Alpha Project.
Tuesday Moon, a social worker with Father Joe’s Villages’ street health team, said they drove around several times a day, offering hats, rechargeable fans and directions to places to find shade. Although authorities have said the heat sends hundreds of people across the county to the emergency room each year, Moon said she has never had to call 911 for anyone they’ve encountered.
Warnings have also been issued for those working outdoors due to the extreme heat. Government regulations require workers to have an opportunity to escape the sun when temperatures exceed 27 degrees Celsius, and water must also be nearby.
Street and sidewalk cleaning crews are particularly affected. “They are trained to recognize signs of heat exhaustion and to look out for each other,” said Aaron Hunter, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation. “Most importantly, they make sure they stay hydrated.”
Particularly high temperatures can be dangerous for children.
In schools in the region, teachers sent students indoors. Outdoor recess was taboo. The same was true for lunch. The Grossmont Union High School District in East County is still considering whether to cancel sports practices and games.
County officials said all classrooms are equipped with air conditioning, although the age and quality of the systems can vary from school to school. Some school leaders plan to issue bonds in November to finance further upgrades.
To keep a cool head, experts recommend, among other things, avoiding alcohol, wearing light clothing and moving slowly.
Many residents spent the day in one of the region’s designated “Cool Zones,” which may include public libraries.
“This space is really important,” said Katie Keeley, a student at Grossmont College, at the Santee library. “Most people are trying to get out of the house because they don’t have enough money to pay the electric bill.”
Editor Paul Sisson contributed to this report.
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