Records broken in Sacramento and Reno, while California close to ordering rolling blackouts to ease strain on power grid

Guardian staff and agencyWed 7 Sep 2022 14.21 EDT

A brutal heatwave enveloping the US west smashed records on Tuesday, as high temperatures and historic energy use strained California’s grid to the brink of its capacity and spurred fire behavior across the state.

Western states are struggling through one of the hottest and longest September heatwaves on record.

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Temperatures began soaring last week and reached records in various parts of the region.

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California’s state capital of Sacramento on Tuesday hit an all-time high of 116F (46.7C), breaking a 97-year-old record. Six places…