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Surging temperatures near record
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Maryland (Map, News) - Soaring temperatures pushed electricity usage to an all-time high, and prompted cancellations of high school football and Raven practices as the heat surged once again toward record numbers on Wednesday.
National Weather Service officials said Wednesday’s temperatures in Baltimore would surpass the previous record of 99 degrees set in 1980, with a heat index of about 115 degrees, and both state and city officials issued heat advisories for the second consecutive day.
“That looks like it’s definitely in jeopardy,” NWS spokesman Andy Woodcock said of the 99-degree record. He said temperatures were likely to remain elevated today but cool down into the weekend.
The heat this summer also has left a deadly toll, but not nearly as many deaths as last year. State officials have reported 13 deaths due to heat-related illness so far this summer, compared with a total of 42 last year. The most recent of those was a 65-year-old man in Montgomery County on July 27.
The surging heat was also likely to cause some disruptions to electrical service as customers dial up their air conditioning units and spend more time indoors, Baltimore Gas and Electric spokeswoman Linda Foy said.
Foy said the heat was likely to boost electricity usage to a seasonal record on Wednesday, surpassing a previous seasonal record set just the day before. It was even possible that power usage would near the all-time high, set last August.
BGE activated its “energy saver” program on Wednesday, she said, which cycles users’ air conditioning units on and off in 15-minute intervals to save power. The program “goes a long way to helping us keep the system balanced,” she said, and would likely prevent the company from having to reduce voltage or initiate rotating blackouts.
“We certainly do believe that we will be able to meet demand,” she said. “We will also ask that our customers conserve.”
Commuters were likely to feel the effects of the heat as well, as the Maryland Transit Authority slowed rail service by 20 mph in order to facilitate more frequent inspections and avoid derailments, MTA spokeswoman Darlene Mason said.
The city has opened its 10 emergency cooling centers today.
sgentile@baltimoreexaminer.com
