Heat Wave

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NEW YORK (AP) -- A lengthy, blistering heat wave that is blanketing the eastern half of the United States is putting significant stress on the nation's power grid as homeowners and businesses crank up their air conditioners.

Utilities say they're ready for high power demand and widespread electricity shortages or outages are unlikely. Lines and equipment are not fully taxed and there is more generating and transmission capacity available than usual because of the weak economy. Also, not many major storms are in the forecast, meaning fewer downed power lines.

Wait a minute. So, you have an excess of power because people are so poor they're not buying power anymore? How can they just blow past that statistic? Is it just ME?

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To meet demand, utilities are firing up special power plants used only a few days a year, delaying scheduled maintenance in order to keep all equipment on line and testing heat-sensitive switches and other equipment with high-tech devices like thermographers that can gauge temperatures to one-tenth of a degree.

WHAT? delaying scheduled maintenance? ooo, and who the hell gives a hot crap what tenth of a degree it is? It's fucking HOT.

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Problems can arise when the grid comes under maximum strain. Equipment can't cool off, and it can't handle as much power as usual. Lines, transformers and switches are working at full capacity and can be overwhelmed by power surges that can result from a blown piece of equipment or downed power line.

They're kidding, right? Problems can arise? OMG, my stomach hurts.

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Utilities and grid operators have to plan for the summer peak year-round. For them, a summer heat wave is like Black Friday for a big box retailer. Customers are clamoring for service, and it is time to sell the most power at the highest rates of the year.

I sweartagawd that I'm quoting this, from the Associated Press. Yes, these quotes are all from the same story, same author.... [sigh]

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"As you get into the heat wave, the load builds even if the temperature stays the same," says Mike Bryson, the Executive Director for systems operations at PJM.

That's it, the big interview for the article. One line from one guy who's making a lot of money from jacking up power prices just when it's needed the most for those who can still afford it. What is it, 13 dead from this heat wave so far, that we know of? Well, you can sure count on crack reporting like this to keep us informed...

omg, i MISS reading the news with you in the morning, sis!

you can't make this chit up

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To meet demand, utilities are firing up special power plants used only a few days a year

Whaaa?

Get me some of those special power plants

Update: more that 24 people have died from the heat wave, and a shitload of cattle, hundreds, dead.
Here is a report from RSOE:

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A heat alert continues Sunday as temperatures skyrocket to sweltering daytime highs in Toronto. Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health first issued the alert Saturday morning. Environment Canada predicts a mostly sunny Sunday, with winds blowing in from the southwest and a high temperature of 34 C. Sunscreen is a must, with the UV index listed as 10, or very high. Sunday night will gradually become overcast, with a 40 per cent chance of rain and the chance of a thunderstorm before morning. Normal temperature for this time of year is 27 C, the agency says. The humidex advisory issued by Environment Canada for southern Ontario also continues Sunday. Most of the region will be hit with daytime high temperatures in the 30 C to 35 C range on Sunday, with the humidex making it feel as warm as 42 C. It’ll even be hard to sleep before heading back to work Monday, with humidex values above 30 C on Sunday night. On Monday, residents will get a break as a weak cold front moves in over most of southern Ontario. However, Environment Canada warns the muggy weather will return by mid-week and continue into the next weekend. Despite the sweltering weather, the city’s cooling centres do not open for heart alerts.

The seven locations are available during extreme heat alerts, defined as days when weather conditions suggest that the likelihood of heat-related death is at least 50 per cent greater than on a typical day. A heat alert indicates weather conditions suggest the chance of death stands at 25 to 50 per cent greater than on a typical day, according to the Toronto Public Health website. Instead, Torontonians can cool off at air-conditioned public places, including community centres and libraries. The city has issued two other heat alerts this year, on May 31 and June 8. Surprisingly, hot weather isn’t the only consideration when the city issues a heat alert. George Matsumura, a spokesperson for Toronto Public Health, said Wednesday that a number of factors, including wind speed, dew point, humidity and cloud cover, and the number of consecutive hot days need to be evaluated. “It’s not a simple thing,” he said. The city advises residents to drink plenty of water, avoid going outside during peak sun hours, wear loose clothing and limit physical activities.

Canada? take refuge in libraries and other "public" places? FRIGGIN CANADA?

Now, I would like you to consider this story from the same source about snowstorms in Chile from TODAY's news:

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Chilean officials declared a "catastrophe" in eight municipalities Wednesday after heavy snow blanketed communities and blocked roads in what the nation's interior minister called a "white earthquake." "It has snowed more than ever," Curacautin Mayor Jorge Saquel told CNN Chile Tuesday. "This is an anomaly. ... This worries us because the meteorologists assure us that new snowstorms are coming." In the city of Lonquimay, officials said snow had piled more than 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) high. Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter on Wednesday called the situation a "white earthquake" and asked the country's military and public works officials to help citizens in some of the hardest-hit areas in the country's central Araucania region. "This storm is strong and it is likely that in the coming days we could suffer from more bad weather fronts, more heavy snowfall, that make the situation even worse," Hinzpeter said. "But of course when this occurs, our government will always be on the side of those who are suffering, using all the tools provided by our legal system." Authorities said they were sending trucks filled with food to the region, along with military helicopters to reach people in remote areas. More than 6,500 people remained isolated Wednesday in Lonquimay, a town with many living in outlying, rural areas, CNN Chile affiliate Universidad Autonoma Television reported. Earlier this week, local officials said federal assistance had not arrived quickly enough. "The settlers and people of Lonquimay are buried undered the snow. There are areas with more than 2.3 meters of snow and we have gone many days without being able to communicate with many of them," Lonquimay Mayor Guillermo Vasquez said in a statement Monday. "The emergency director promised us two bulldozers to clear the roads. We have people who are isolated. ... Touching the snow, it is like glass," Saquel told CNN Chile. "The machines and food should have arrived as soon as possible."

Say, if the poles shifted, you suppose "THEY" would tell us?

I think we'd know if the poles shifted SS.

with Hippies post above about the axis and this here and the big snow in chile...
i don't think they have tipped yet..
but i sure do think we are in a wobble to tip



just my opinion, of course..
i've noticed too many things not as they used to be to think anything else