A blistering stretch of heat in San Diego pushed San Diego Gas & Electric's electricity demand to a record high on Sept. 9, leaving thousands of customers temporarily without power as air conditioners and fans worked overtime.
Here's what to know
On Sept. 9, SDG&E's net load climbed to 5,209 megawatts, topping the utility's previous one-day high of 4,890 megawatts from September 2014, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Lingering heat and humidity kept air conditioners and fans running longer at homes and businesses, including into the evening. That same day also brought Petco Park's hottest game on record, with temperatures at 95 degrees for the first pitch of the Padres' afternoon game against the Washington Nationals.
Even without a regionwide blackout, power interruptions still mounted. SDG&E reported 29 unplanned outages between midnight Sept. 8 and midnight Sept. 9 that affected nearly 15,000 customers before service was restored. Separately, a circuit-line outage around 1:30 p.m. Sept. 9 shut off electricity to about 8,700 customers in Rancho Bernardo/Poway.
More background
Demand rose well beyond San Diego, too. The California Independent System Operator, which runs the state's high-voltage grid for roughly four-fifths of California and a small part of Nevada, said Sept. 9 peak load reached 50,042 megawatts, the highest single-day total of 2026.
What's being done?
Across its 1.3 million-customer service territory, SDG&E said crews worked in extreme heat to restore outages while keeping the wider system reliable. Kevin Geraghty, the utility's chief operating and safety officer, said the broader grid remained stable despite the localized disruptions.
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Statewide, California's grid operator continues working to match electricity supply with demand across the larger system during stretches of extreme weather.
"While localized SDG&E outages occurred, our teams remained focused on restoring service safely and maintaining reliability across the broader electric system," Geraghty said in a statement, according to the Union-Tribune. "We are grateful for the patience of our customers and proud of the crews who worked in extreme conditions to serve our communities."
Where can I learn more?
These stories cover prolonged outages, major heat waves, and heat illness during extreme heat.
• Across vulnerable U.S. communities, extreme heat and storms are prolonging power outages for residents.
• Across western U.S. cities, a history-making heat wave pushed dangerous temperatures into fall.
• During summer heat waves, heat stroke symptoms can escalate fast and turn deadly.
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