Summer Heat Expected To Strain Power Grid, Force Outages▼

Summer-like heat is going to set new high temperature records this weekend along the East Coast and there's concern from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation that some parts country could experience blackouts this summer because of the heat. It seems pretty likely there will be power shortages in a few parts of the country this summer. With the way the national power grid is arranged, it won't be a nationwide issue, but some big cities and entire states are at high risk. SEE MORE: Wind, Drought Combine To Make Western U.S. Fires Unstoppable Industry experts say the predicted above normal temperatures and the ongoing drought that's gripping the western U.S. will create high peak demands and forced outages. The drought is also likely to cut power generation output at hydro-electric dams. Last year, some dams had to be taken offline due to water reservoir levels dropping too low. This year some of those reservoirs are already at critical levels. The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center released its summer outlook Thursday, and it supports the warning about electricity heading into the summer months. Source