Hollister
– Locals sweltered through record high temperatures on Saturday
and Sunday, leaving some San Benito County residents without power
and others charging to local stores to clear the shelves of fans
and air conditioning units.
Hollister – Locals sweltered through record high temperatures on Saturday and Sunday, leaving some San Benito County residents without power and others charging to local stores to clear the shelves of fans and air conditioning units.
Saturday hit 102 degrees and Sunday peaked at a blistering 109 degrees. The previous records were 98 degrees in 1942 for Saturday and 104 degrees in 2005 for Sunday, according to the Western Regional Climate Center. Monday’s high of 95 missed a record by one degree and today’s forecast of 89 is a refreshing drop from 1973’s high of 105 degrees.
Three Hollister residents checked into the Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital emergency room Sunday reporting heat-related illnesses, according to officials.
But relief is on the way, said Diana Henderson of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Monterey.
“It’s going to start cooling off toward the weekend,” she said. “By Friday we’re looking at about 85 degrees.”
Sweaty consumers raided Target stores throughout the region during the heat wave, purchasing any size fan or air conditioning unit available. By Monday, stores in Hollister, Gilroy and Salinas were sold out.
“We have been trying to special order, but the other stores are in the same predicament,” said Hollister Target Manager Marianne Klements. “No one expected this heat.”
A Target operator in Gilroy said she turned away 175 callers seeking heat-battling appliances on Sunday. Klements said she saw four fans scheduled for a Hollister delivery on Tuesday.
The state warned Monday of possible blackouts because of a spike in energy use throughout California. This followed a weekend of sparse power outages in San Benito County that left residents without power, and some major ones in Santa Clara County where more than 36,000 residents are still off the grid.
“The best thing to do is conserve – and not through a half-hearted approach” said Jeff Smith, a spokesman for PG&E. Until it cools off, avoid using major appliances such as dishwashers, vacuums and washers and dryers, he said.
The weekend power outages came after numerous transponders overheated – much like a car overheats – and failed. The state issues blackout warnings when overall energy demand starts to approach the level of energy produced.
“Is there going to be sufficient (energy) supply?” Smith said. “Right now I think it’s pretty close. That’s why the state is concerned. The potential is there to experience (outages) until it cools off.”
Many factors have contributed to the current heat wave, said Henderson: high pressure over the entire western United States, air moving in from the east and south negating the cool breeze blowing off of the Pacific water, and a downward flow of air that causes more heat and more sun exposure from minimal cloud cover.
Banks Albach covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335, or ba****@fr***********.com.
