Texas’ power grid reported record electricity use early last week. Both the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas are urging residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce electricity use as temperatures soar above100 degrees over much of the state. So far the grid, which administers 90% of the state’s power load, has been able to keep up with demand.
Temperatures set record highs for June in several Texas cities: 111 degrees in Junction, 115 in Laredo, and 113 in Del Rio. The heat wave stretches from the Pecos River Valley in the west to the Rio Grande in the south to the Pineywoods in the east.
State Climatologist John Nielsen- Gammon pointed to several factors, including near-record temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, a high-pressure system trapping the heat over the state, and climate change.
