With temperatures continuing to soar across Southern California, the City of West Hollywood has extended the open hours of its Cooling Center at Plummer Park. The Cooling Center will continue to be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday, September 9, 2022.
The Cooling Center is located at the Plummer Park Community Center, Senior Lounge, at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. The Cooling Center in West Hollywood is activated when temperatures rise to 90 degrees or above, and it will be extended if there are continued temperatures above 90 degrees.Staff members at Plummer Park are available to direct people to the Cooling Center.
The City of West Hollywood provides free transportation to Plummer Park through its Cityline service. Cityline is a friendly and accessible alternative to the larger bus system and all shuttles are ADA-accessible. Cityline operates Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and shuttles arrive approximately every 30 minutes. Face coverings are required on Cityline vehicles. For additional information and a detailed route map, visit www.weho.org/cityline — route maps are also available on Cityline shuttles.
Due to the rise in COVID-19 community transmission in Los Angeles County, the City’s Social Services Division has activated its fan delivery service to serve the City’s older adults and other vulnerable residents who may have otherwise utilized the City’s cooling centers when temperatures rise above 90 degrees. This temporary program will provide a box fan to residents who do not have access to air conditioning, do not feel comfortable accessing the City’s Cooling Center, and who have not received a fan from this City program in the past. To request a fan, please leave a message for the City of West Hollywood’s Social Services Division at (323) 848-6510 with name, phone number, and address. Please plan ahead for the weekend, as the fan program only operates on weekdays during cooling center activation and will not be able to accommodate requests for deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays.
High heat can make the weather dangerous as well as uncomfortable. The City reminds residents and community members to take precautions to keep as cool as possible during hot days. If possible, stay out of the sun; avoid strenuous activity; drink plenty of water; and wear lightweight clothing.
The City reminds community members that pets and children are particularly vulnerable to high-heat conditions. Every year, children and pets suffer and die when left unattended in parked vehicles. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked vehicle can soar to 120 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes — even with windows cracked open. Think twice before ever leaving a child or a pet in a parked vehicle, even for just a moment.
High heat is also extremely hazardous for pet paws. Ground temperatures can be much hotter than the surrounding air and pavement and sidewalks absorb heat quickly. A simple seven-second test to check whether pavement is too hot can help assess if conditions are too hot to take a furry friend out for a walk. Touch the pavement with the back of your hand for seven seconds. If the surface is too hot to hold for the full seven seconds, then it is also too hot for paws. Avoid concrete, brick, and asphalt during the heat of the day and, instead, walk when the ground is cooler, early in the morning or late in the evening.
With electricity demand reaching record levels due to a drawn-out heat wave, the Southland and state avoided rolling power blackouts as the manager of the power grid called for maximum conservation efforts by residents.
The California Independent System Operator extended a Flex Alert until Tuesday, urging residents to take all possible measures to conserve electricity during the peak hours of 4-9 p.m. for the seventh consecutive day.
On Tuesday morning, Cal-ISO declared an Energy Emergency Alert 1 for the same hours, warning utilities that all electricity resources are expected to be fully committed and some shortages are possible. By early afternoon, Cal- ISO moved to Energy Emergency Alert 2, requesting all available emergency supplies to be made available to meet the demand.
And just before 6 p.m., the state moved into Energy Emergency Alert 3, calling for maximum conservation efforts while warning that blackouts could be imminent absent reduced demand.
To drive home the demand, alerts were sent to cellphones across the state urging people to “conserve energy now to protect public health and safety,” and warning that “power interruptions may occur unless you take action.”
“As the state faces the hottest day in this prolonged, record- breaking heat wave, grid conditions are expected to worsen,” according to the power-grid manager. “If needed, ISO could order utilities to begin rotating power outages to maintain stability of the electric grid. If that occurs, consumers should expect communications — either phone, text or email — from their utilities notifying them of outage areas and likely durations.”
Cal-ISO ended Energy Emergency Alert 3 at 8 p.m., declaring “consumer conservation played a big part in protecting electric grid reliability.”
If energy reserves were exhausted, Cal-ISO would have instructed utilities to manage rolling blackouts. Utilities make the determination of how best to spread and rotate the outages across their service territory, with the goal of keeping them as short as possible.
Cal-ISO officials said calls for conservation have paid off so far during the heat wave, with no power interruptions occurring.
By late Tuesday afternoon, electricity demand reached 52,061 megawatts, breaking the record of 50,270 MW set in 2006, according to Cal-ISO. Wednesday’s load is forecast at 49,868 MW.
Consumer and commercial demand response, including Flex Alerts, has been helping to extend tight resources over the past week, with a load reduction of around 1,000 MW for each of the past several days.
During the Flex Alerts, residents are urged to take the following power-saving steps:
— setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher;
— avoiding use of major appliances;
— turning off unnecessary lights; and
— avoid charging electric vehicles.
Residents were also advised to pre-cool their homes as much as possible and close blinds and drapes to keep interiors cool.
Southern California has seen temperatures soar above 100 degrees every day since last Wednesday, with little relief in sight until at least Friday.
Overnight lows are not offering much relief either, staying in the 70s and even in the low 80s in some of the hotter areas.
Record minimum temperatures were set throughout Southern California on Tuesday night. In Santa Ana, the low of 74 tied a record set in 2020. In San Diego, the low of 73 tied a record set in 1995.
Minimum record lows were set on Monday night as well. In Anaheim, the low of 78 broke a record of 75 set in 1978. In Santa Ana, the low of 75 broke a record of 74 set in 2019.
Monday’s high temperatures reached 101 in downtown Los Angeles, 105 in Pasadena, 109 in North Hollywood and Santa Clarita, and 110 in Van Nuys and Lancaster.
In Orange County, Anaheim reached 98 degrees Monday and Fullerton reached 100.
Excessive heat warnings across most of the region that had been set to expire Monday or Tuesday were extended through 8 p.m. Friday for Los Angeles County beaches, the inland coastal area including downtown Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel, San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. The warnings will be in place until 8 p.m. Thursday in the Los Angeles County mountains and Antelope Valley.
The excessive heat warning was extended until at least 8 p.m. Friday for Orange County coastal and inland areas, including valleys in San Bernardino and Riverside, and the Santa Ana mountains and foothills.
“A prolonged period of very hot conditions with minimal coastal clouds is expected through much of this week as high pressure aloft remains anchored over the West,” according to the National Weather Service. “Triple- digit heat will be common for many valley and mountain locations with a very high risk of heat illness.”
The last few days have seen record highs for specific dates in Long Beach, Lancaster, Palmdale and Sandberg.
“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors,” the NWS urged. “Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.”
Forecasters also urged residents to be aware of the signs of heat stroke and to take precautions.
Cooling centers for Los Angeles County can be found at ready.lacounty.gov/heat/. Cooling centers for Los Angeles can be found at emergency.lacity.org/la-responds/beat-heat, or by calling 311.
According to the NWS, a cool-down is expected by next weekend, including “a chance of showers and thunderstorms for all areas.”
Also. Set your thermostats north of 78 degrees. When governor gel head does it, so will I. In the meantime I’ll let all you lgbtqia+ Follow your strict orders and act like a sheep. Gays, turn off your air because your liberal governor told you to, just like he said wear a mask while he goes to the French Laundry. Abide by the rules, gays, or else!
Don’t charge your electric cars, your cell phones and please don’t be selfish with using the dryer, Californians. We need to make sure Harry and Meghan have enough energy to cool their montecito home. And god hope they have enough water to make sure the hedges are in perfect shape.
I feel responsible for this heat. I can’t afford an electric car so I have to buy gas. I’m so so sorry it’s hot out. It’s 100% my fault.
Rather than handing out bicycles perhaps the city would consider
Distributing window air conditioners to those residents in units without where landlords have resisted. Many residents are either elderly, disabled or otherwise infirm. This could be a life saver for them.