TORRANCE, Calif. – As Southern California continues through an oppressive heat wave, stress on the power grid has left thousands without power across Los Angeles County.
Several cities across Southern California reached record highs on Friday. While the forecast says the worst of the heat wave is over, temperatures across the region remain in the 90s and into the 100s over the weekend. The high temperatures have led to more people relying on appliances like air conditioning systems, stressing the power grid.
The demand led to outages in the Torrance area Saturday. Local businesses, including about half of Del Amo Mall, are without electricity.
“We came to the mall to hang out in a nice, air-conditioned, covered area,” said David Sanchez. “Now, half the mall doesn’t even have power.”
Customers at a local Chase Bank were frustrated by the outages, unable to make withdrawals from the ATM.
The outages also affected several traffic …