California in grips of killer heat wave

At least 132 deaths, mostly elderly residents, were likely linked to a nearly two-week heat wave in California, county coroner's offices reported Friday.

The big jump from a day earlier came primarily from Los Angeles, Merced, and Stanislaus counties, where coroners struggled to keep up."This is unprecedented for the county," said Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services spokesman David Jones. The county typically suffers one heat-related death a year, he said.

On Friday, he reported 29 deaths in a survey by The Associated Press.The state's elderly may have underestimated the potential for harm."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."Both Northern and Southern California had been gripped by triple-digit temperatures since July 16, with the Central Valley suffering the most with temperatures as high as 115.The heat wave appeared to be nearing its end Friday as regions that saw the mercury soar past 100 degrees early in the week fell back into the 80s and 90s, said Mike Delman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service."By Monday, Tuesday we'll be even cooler than normal," Delman said. In the extended forecast, "It might warm up a bit, but nothing like what we had."Californians trying to keep cool have set records for energy consumption.Before this week, the utility's highest peak energy use was recorded at 5,661 megawatts. The heat wave created a demand of 6,165 megawatts — shocking officials who predicted usage wouldn't top 6,100 megawatts for another four years.

In Northern California, a wildfire near the Oregon state line was threatening major power transmission lines between California and the Pacific Northwest. Grid operators said they could reroute electricity if the lines go dead, but those three lines carry about 4,200 megawatts to California.Farmers have been struggling as well, trying get work crews into the fields in the early mornings to avoid the worst of the heat and running water misters to keep cattle from dying. Vegetables, fruit and even wine grapes could be affected."The conditions, staying this hot for this long, are simply too much for the most vulnerable residents," state Sen. Dean Florez said Thursday as he called on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in the Central Valley to make more financial and personnel resources available.Schwarzenegger said he had already taken action to help residents cope with the heat, pointing to 75 cooling centers available at fairgrounds 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."

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