A number of U.S. utility companies called on customers to conserve electricity due to frigid weather on Saturday and Sunday.
Con Edison, which serves the New York City metropolitan area, asked its 1.1 million natural gas, 3.5 million electric, and other customers in New York City to conserve power. Temperatures in the Big Apple plunged to about 15 degrees F overnight on Saturday and Sunday morning.
“Conserving energy as much as possible now will help ensure adequate natural gas supplies for the rest of the weekend,” Con Edison said late on Saturday. “Owners of natural gas pipelines have reported that equipment problems caused by the cold weather and the heavy demand for natural gas are challenging their ability to provide adequate amounts of gas throughout the Northeast,” the utility company added.
Another, ISO New England, warned Saturday that it has “insufficient reserve supplies” and called on its members to “voluntarily curtail power” due to strain on the power grid, reported Bloomberg.
“We have declared a power caution for the region, and [are] calling upon reserve resources due to the unexpected loss of generation and imports,” ISO New England spokesman Matthew Kakley told Bloomberg News.
The release said it is “asking its customers in Ohio and Kentucky to voluntarily reduce usage of all non-essential electricity until 10 a.m. Christmas Day,” which “will help PJM member utilities to continue delivering reliable service during this period of significantly low temperatures across the region.”
Later Saturday, the firm said it would impose rolling blackouts in North and South Carolina on Christmas Eve because of the increased strain on the grid. At one point around noon Saturday, some 340,000 Duke customers were without power.
“I’m grateful for the workers braving the wind and cold to get the power back on,” the governor wrote.
Also Saturday, Pennsylvania-based PJM Interconnection sent out an emergency alert for conservation across 13 states otherwise rolling blackouts may be imposed. It asked customers to set their thermostats lower than usual and not use major appliances such as hair dryers, dishwashers, stoves, and others.
The blinding blizzards, freezing rain, and frigid cold that enveloped much of the United States knocked out power to an estimated 1.7 million households and businesses. PJM territory covers all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
PJM officials said simultaneous increased demand across its electric system came as some power plants are having difficulty operating in the extreme cold. They warned of rolling blackouts and said they wanted people to be prepared. Commercial and industrial power users have also been asked to cut back, according to PJM.
More than 2,700 U.S. flights were canceled on Saturday, with total delays tallying more than 6,400, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. More than 5,000 flights were canceled on Friday, FlightAware said.
Weather-related car accidents around the country left at least 16 dead and hundreds stranded on ice and snowbound roads, according to media reports.
In Erie County, in upstate New York, about 500 motorists were stranded in their vehicles on Friday night into Saturday morning, with the National Guard called in to help with rescues, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told media. At least one person was found dead in a car, he said.
It will start to moderate west-to-east across America, with the high plains and Central U.S. getting back to normal by Tuesday, but it won’t warm up on the East Coast until Thursday or Friday, forecasters say.
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