Heat wave hits 116°; blackouts threatened

Canyon Lake is cooking. The community already adjusting to COVID-19 restrictions canceling events, is now enduring such extreme heat that the few events left shut down over the weekend.

Friday Flyer weather columnist Pat Elliano recorded a high temperature in Canyon Lake last week of 116 degrees. The water temperature of the lake is a sauna-like 86 degrees. Outside of the Canyon Lake Swimming Pool and other private pools, only air conditioning provided a respite from the heat. And that electricity hog almost resulted in rotating blackouts.

Due to the extreme heat, many felt it too dangerous to be outside for extended periods of time. The Tennis Club Mixer and the Canyon Lake Yacht Club’s Cocktail Cruise, both scheduled for Saturday, were cancelled because of the weather.

“I was crazy enough to have a yard sale,” Leslie Nettles said regarding the heat wave. “I got a little smarter later in the day and jumped into the pool.” Photo by Leslie Nettles.

On Friday last week, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) declared a Stage 2 emergency for the state of California  “due to excessive heat driving up electricity use and putting strain on the grid,” it said. The declaration was changed to Stage 3 (the highest stage) later that same day, resulting in rotating outages throughout the state. Although Canyon Lake was warned of pending outages, none ended up being required.

The official warnings continue into this new week as the National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for Sunday and is expected to last until Thursday at 10:00 p.m.

The ISO also issued a Flex Alert spanning Sunday through Wednesday, asking that California residents voluntarily reduce their electricity consumption by setting the thermostat to 78° or higher, turning off unnecessary lights and avoiding the use of large appliances between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Canyon Lakers have been impacted by this heat wave in different ways, but some have found ways to cope with it in a more enjoyable way. For example, the Younger family took advantage of the lake and went paddle boarding for the evening; Cathy Ann Rumble took a refreshing dip in the pool; Pamela Kelly decided to barbeque and Joy White Call enjoyed iced tea while her ceiling fan was on and her drapes were closed.

For those unable to escape the heat, the Community Action Partnership organization of Riverside has opened a cooling center at the Kay Ceniceros Senior Center located at 29995 Evans Rd. in Menifee. It will be open Monday through Friday from noon to 5:00 p.m. For more information go to www.capriverside.org/Cool-Centers.