Historic heat wave triggers mass power outages across Southern California
Southern California faced widespread power outages on Wednesday as a historic heat wave pushed temperatures into the 80s and 90s. Several areas, including Palm Springs, Monterey Park, and Beverly Hills, reported disruptions, with hundreds of customers left without electricity. The extreme weather also triggered additional failures near key locations like Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The first major outage struck the Del Aire area near LAX at 6 a.m., cutting power to 447 Southern California Edison (SCE) customers. Among those affected was the Los Angeles County Airport Courthouse, forcing all urgent legal proceedings to relocate. Felony and misdemeanor arraignments were moved to the Torrance Courthouse, while other critical matters shifted to nearby facilities. Investigators later ruled out heat as the cause, though the exact reason remained unclear by evening.
Elsewhere, heat-related failures hit Palm Springs, Monterey Park, and Beverly Hills, leaving 435 customers without power. SCE warned that overloaded equipment—strained by high air-conditioning use—was likely to blame. The company urged residents to conserve energy by setting thermostats to 78 degrees, switching off AC when away, and relying on fans and open windows to stay cool. A third outage emerged in El Segundo, affecting 603 customers. SCE estimated restoration by 2 a.m. Thursday, as crews worked to stabilise the grid. The utility continued to monitor demand, asking the public to reduce usage during peak hours to prevent further disruptions.
The outages coincided with a prolonged heat wave, testing the region's electrical infrastructure. While some areas saw power restored by late Wednesday, others faced extended delays. SCE's conservation measures aimed to ease strain on the system as high temperatures persisted.
