STORM2K

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- A slight dip in triple-digit temperatures eased the stress on California's electric grid as well as the possibility of rolling blackouts, but the number of heat-related deaths continued to rise.

In one of the hardest-hit areas, coroners in Fresno County on Wednesday began stacking bodies two to a gurney because there were so many.

Among the 81 deaths believed to be caused by the heat statewide since July 16, 20 are in Fresno County. Coroner Loralee Cervantes said her staff was doing autopsies nonstop and decomposition of some bodies made the causes of death difficult to determine.

Temperatures approached 110 in Fresno and other Central Valley cities on Wednesday, but forecasters said a slow cooling trend was under way, with highs expected to drop a few degrees by the weekend.

"We're seeing some relief coming, if you can call 105 relief," said National Weather Service forecaster Jim Dudley. "We're inching away from this superhot air mass we've had over us, though it's tricky. ... It's hard to get those things to move."

Californians were taking stock of damage wrought by the heat, from fruit and nuts scorched on the vine to a power grid battered by the constant demand for electricity.

Managers of the power grid were waiting for cooler weather to do maintenance after record electricity usage on Monday and Tuesday prompted officials to declare an emergency and warn of possible involuntary rolling blackouts.

"We have some balancing to do to allow as much maintenance as we can while we're in a cooling spell," said Gregg Fishman, a spokesman for Independent System Operator, which manages the grid.

While the power supply remained adequate Wednesday, the hot weather, coupled with increased usage, has blown out transformers around the state.

More than 1,100 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. transformers were damaged by the heat, leaving 1.2 million customers without power at some point since Friday, company spokesman Brian Swanson said.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/28/heatwave.ap/index.html

What size earthquake constitues the chance of a tsunami. Can a small quake produce one or is it the location that consitutes a tsunami?

I think a 7.0 is considered the smallest tsunami risk.

Oh, sorry. I think I posted this in the wrong thread...

Thousands of cows dead as well; milk down 15% and crops ruined.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/27/heatwa ... index.html

Even with fans and misting to keep cattle cool, experts estimate as much as 2 percent of the state's dairy herd may die. The surviving cattle are producing less -- dairy production in the state -- No. 1 in the nation -- was down as much as 15 percent in the past few days, according to the California Farm Bureau.

It's too early to say what percentage of California crops may be lost.

Tomatoes being grown for salsa, ketchup and pasta sauces were found split in the fields, which will make them hard to sell.

The heat might also mean a slightly smaller harvest of wine grapes, said Karen Ross, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. When temperatures rise, vines stop growing to conserve water.

Expect milk and beef prices to climb. Looks like humans are in big trouble as global warming continues to make things worse for us. Very expensive prices for everyday foods and food shortages could occur over the next couple decades. Very grim news coming from California. Bay Area heat wave was unprecedented.
The heat also caused energy problems. MySpace was one of the sites brought down during the California power outages. So in additions to humans dying from the heat we also have the impact on livestock and crops to worry about.

California heat wave death toll at 98 and climbing.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 540D17.DTL

FRESNO, California (AP) -- A long-awaited cooldown began to set in Friday as the number of deaths blamed on California's record-breaking heat wave approached 100.

The National Weather Service lifted its heat advisories, and highs around the state were expected to dip below the triple-digit mark after 12 straight days of scorching heat. But in the Central Valley, which has taken the brunt of the heat, temperatures were still expected to hover near 100 degrees.

"It's a little slower than we would like, but the heat is finally moving out," said Kathy Hoxsie, a meteorologist with the weather center. (Watch how people stay cool and police save lives -- 1:45)

On Thursday, aid workers went door-to-door checking on the elderly, who are most vulnerable to extreme heat, as the number of suspected heat-related deaths climbed to 98, according to county coroners' offices. (Full story)

In Fresno County's morgue, the walk-in freezer was stuffed with bodies, with some piled on top of others, said Coroner Loralee Cervantes. With limited air conditioning, employees worked in sweltering heat as they investigated at least 22 possible heat-related deaths.

In Stanislaus County, officials were investigating whether the heat was responsible for 20 deaths, and Sacramento County reported 11 possible heat victims.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that 75 cooling centers were available at fairgrounds statewide. Health officials also were contacting nursing homes to make sure they had evacuation plans in case their air conditioning systems failed, he said.

State Sen. Dean Florez called on Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in the Central Valley to make more financial and personnel resources available.

"Record-breaking heat requires a record-breaking response," Florez said.

Schwarzenegger said he had already taken "action" to help state residents cope with the heat, pointing to the cooling centers and conservation measures to avoid blackouts.

"There's not much more we can do," he said. "I don't know what it means to declare a state of emergency when we're already doing everything."

At least six Central Valley counties have already declared local states of emergency that allow farmers to bury livestock killed by the heat in landfills or on their own properties -- disposal methods not normally allowed by state water laws.

Temperatures began cooling along the coast Thursday, with a comfortable high of 67 in San Francisco, but parts of the Central Valley saw only minor relief -- Fresno still reached 105 and Bakersfield hit 107.

July has seen extreme heat across the country. In St. Louis, the misery was worsened by storms that knocked down power lines last week in the worst blackout in city history. Most of the 12 Missouri deaths attributed to the heat wave occurred in the St. Louis area, where about 34,000 homes and businesses remained without power Thursday.

Missouri regulators opened an investigation into whether AmerenUE and other utilities were properly prepared for the storms, and whether they responded adequately.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/28/heatwave.ap/index.html

Death toll now 132
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14073968/

How tragic!

I've never expected the heat wave to escalade like that!

CA: 141 deaths later, heat wave appears over
AP - Monterey County Herald ^ | Jul. 28, 2006 | OLIVIA MUNOZ

FRESNO, Calif. - The state appeared to break out of its nearly two-week heat wave Friday, but not before it caused as many as 141 deaths and did untold damage to crops.

Authorities raised their toll of possibly heat-related deaths by more than 40 on Friday. The big increase came primarily from Los Angeles County and the Central Valley counties of Merced and Stanislaus, where coroners struggled to keep up.

Stanislaus County, which includes Modesto, has reported 29 heat-related deaths. It normally sees just one such death a year, county emergency services spokesman David Jones said.

California had been sizzling in triple-digit temperatures since July 16. Several cities set records for extended heat waves, including Fresno, with six consecutive 110-plus-degree days, and Sacramento, with 11 consecutive triple-digit days, said Cynthia Palmer, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sacramento.

On Friday, officials said the heat wave appeared to be over, with temperatures expected to return to normal over the weekend.

"You have to go back quite a ways before you see this kind of heat over this widespread an area lasting this long," said David Reynolds, the weather service's chief meteorologist in Monterey. "This kind of heat wave is relatively rare and may only occur every 20 to 25 years."

Some wondered if global warming played a role. While it's difficult to attribute any single weather event to the warming trend, experts said California's record-breaking heat was consistent with predictions that climate change would make heat waves more frequent and intense.

"This is exactly the kind of event we expect to see more frequently due to global warming," said Dan Lashoff, science director at the Natural Resources Defense Council's Climate Center.

Fresno children and their parents filled the playground and soccer fields at Radio Park, relieved they could finally venture outside without broiling.

"It feels nice to be outside for more than a minute. For the past week it's just been from the house to the car, from the car to the house," said Eric Mayberry, who took his 3-year-old daughter to the playground.

The vast majority of deaths attributed to the heat were of elderly people who died in homes without air conditioning in the Central Valley, where temperatures hit 115 degrees for several consecutive days.

Many elderly residents, whose bodies don't cope as well in the heat, probably underestimated the potential for harm, county coroners said.

"They've dealt with heat forever," said Sgt. Sue Norris, supervisor of the Merced County coroner's office. "They don't think that it could be a real danger."

Central Valley farmers were assessing damage to their crops. Growers of peaches, plums, nectarines and walnuts were especially hurt, said Rosanna Westmoreland, a spokeswoman for the California Farm Bureau.

"This is definitely going to be one of those years we're going to remember," said Paul Wenger, a Stanislaus County farmer who said thousands of his walnut and almond trees suffered sun damage and even died in the heat.

July has seen extreme heat across the country, including in St. Louis, which sweltered all the worse after storms caused the worst blackout in city history last week. AmerenUE Corp. brought in utility workers from around the country to help, but power was not completely restored until Friday, nine days later.

More than a million customers lost power in California's heat wave, largely because of equipment failures, but power regulators avoided the mandatory blackouts that marked the state's power crisis of 2000 and 2001. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said it would offer payments between $25 and $100 to customers who went without power for more than two days.

Some energy experts said the heat wave exposed weaknesses in California's energy infrastructure. They added that although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state power regulators have emphasized power plant construction, they have done little to effectively manage how much electricity Californians use during heat waves and power shortages.

"California has really dropped the ball," said Severin Borenstein, director of the University of California Energy Institute. "Schwarzenegger is just as guilty as the Legislature and the previous governor."

Anger over the state's power problems played a large role when Schwarzenegger ousted Gov. Gray Davis in a 2003 recall election.

Officials with California's Independent System Operator - the regulator of much of the state's energy supply - said their strategy of emergency declarations warning people to conserve worked. But Michael Gordon, president of ConsumerPowerline, a leading energy asset manager firm with California clients, said it may not work next time.

Gordon said the state may have leaned too heavily on companies that receive discounts for curbing their power use at high-demand times. That program has become less appealing since participating companies were asked seven days out of nine to use less power, he said