Triple-digit heat causing concerns for state's power grid, leading to 5th day of Flex Alert

The triple-digit temperatures are creating concerns for the state's power supply. 

To that end, for the fifth straight day, a Flex Alert will be in effect Sunday, which seeks voluntary power conservation by residents to reduce the strain on the electrical grid.

The first Flex Alert was issued Wednesday urging residents to reduce their electricity use from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Additional alerts have been issued for the same hours each day since. 

The alerts have worked thus far, with the state avoiding involuntary power cutoffs. 

According to the California Independent System Operator -- which manages the state's power grid -- electrical demand on Thursday topped out at 47,357 megawatts, the highest figure since September 2017. The agency projected that demand could exceed that number on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with Tuesday's forecast at 49,000 megawatts, according to City News Service.

During the alerts, residents are urged to take power-saving steps, which include setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher; avoiding use of major appliances; turning off unnecessary lights; and avoid charging electric vehicles. 

Meanwhile, in the city of Glendale, rolling blackouts for one hour at a time could be implemented to reduce the strain on the grid.