The record temperature was at Woodland Hills, according to Dave Bruno, senior meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
“We reached 121 degrees (F) in Woodland Hills, California. That is the highest-ever temperature at a station, beating 119 degrees on July 22, 2006,” Bruno told CNN Sunday.
“Woodland Hills is the last place to get the effects of sea breeze. It’s tucked in the west corner of the San Fernando Valley,” Bruno explained. “This record heat was in a perfect or imperfect situation. High temperatures from surface to atmosphere, weak offshore flow and just enough to keep away the sea breeze.”
More than 2,094,955 acres have burned so far, Cal Fire Capt. Richard Cordova said Sunday.
In a news release from the department, Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette agreed with state electrical operators that a “grid reliability emergency exists which demands immediate federal intervention.”
But the statement also questioned why the grid was struggling to cope.
“While the Secretary has offered this emergency assistance to California in this time of crisis, he also encourages state policymakers to evaluate why the grid is not able to handle extreme stress, which could be alleviated with the support of greater baseload power generation and natural gas supply,” the statement read.
The emergency powers allow the DOE to adjust electricity production and distribution during the crisis.