Texas, California Call for Power Restraint During Heatwave

Patrick Fox, 63, from Utah poses for a picture next to the thermometer at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center at Death Valley National Park, with the temperature showing at 129 degrees Fahrenheit (53.8 degrees C) in Death Valley, Calif., on June 16, 2021. Norma Galeana/Reuters

Texas and California urged consumers to conserve energy this week to reduce stress on the grid and avoid outages as homes and businesses crank up air conditioners to escape a scorching heatwave blanketing the U.S. Southwest.

High temperatures were expected to top 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) through the weekend in parts of several states including California, Arizona, and Nevada.