California records its hottest summer ever as climate change roils cities
LA TimesPeople take part in a Tashlich ceremony at Venice Beach on Wednesday. California and several other Western states endured the hottest summer on record, according to federal data released Thursday, underscoring the ways rapid climate change is unleashing unprecedented wildfires, deadly heat waves and drought conditions. Alan Barreca, an environmental economist at UCLA, said the record summer months were not surprising given the “fairly steady increase in temperatures in California and throughout the world” — but they are concerning. “We’re going to need them, and we’re going to also need to be cutting back on our emissions.” Conditions have already become so dire that the California Independent System Operator, which runs most of the state’s power grid, on Tuesday asked the federal government to declare an “electric reliability emergency” that would allow six natural gas-fired power plants — including facilities in Huntington Beach and Long Beach — to generate power at maximum levels, even if they violate air pollution limits. “Everybody needs to remain vigilant.” The National Weather Service said much of the fire zone, including Plumas and Lassen counties and the South Lake Tahoe area, will be hit with gusty winds and the chance of thunderstorms Friday, although a cooling trend should bring temperatures down in the days to come.