Weather
New York Asks Millions to Conserve Power as Heat Wave Tests Grid
- ‘We have a real challenge on our hands,’ Mayor de Blasio said
- It’s the latest test for power grids from extreme weather
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New York City is urging all of its 8.4 million residents to conserve electricity to avoid outages as a brutal heat wave peaks, becoming the latest region to have its power grid tested this year by extreme weather.
The largest city in the U.S. issued an emergency alert shortly after 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, saying homes and businesses should avoid use of major appliances and limit air conditioning. Central Park hit 98 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday afternoon, the highest since 2013. As the heat broke late in the day, warnings were issued for heavy thunderstorms.