LA’s Heat Wave Leaves Power Grid on the Brink

As record-breaking temperatures scorched Los Angeles County on Friday, the heat wave didn’t just push thermometers into triple digits—it pushed the region’s power grid past its breaking point.

With temperatures soaring to a blistering 114 degrees in Burbank, LA’s infrastructure buckled under the strain, causing more than 16,500 outages across the city. The rolling blackouts in Pasadena and scattered outages throughout the San Fernando Valley served as stark reminders of just how fragile our energy systems are in the face of extreme weather.

While Southern Californians are no strangers to heat, this latest wave exposed vulnerabilities that cannot be ignored. The grid’s failure to keep up with demand is a clear signal: as climate change drives more frequent and intense heat waves, our infrastructure must adapt—or more dark, sweltering days lie ahead.