(Bloomberg) -- Soaring temperatures across the US Mid-Atlantic and Midwest are poised to strain the country’s biggest power grid as people crank up air conditioners.
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is forecast to reach 97F (36C) on Tuesday, breaking a record for the date, according to Josh Weiss, a forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. PJM Interconnection, which operates the electricity grid in 13 states, said emergency conditions are possible. New York City and Philadelphia, meanwhile, are expected to hit the mid- to high-90s on Wednesday.
“Today looks like the hottest day for the Chicago area,” Weiss said by telephone.
A persistent high-pressure ridge has focused the heat across the Midwest and southern US. On Wednesday, it will shift into the Mid-Atlantic, including Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey, where an excessive heat warning is in place. In addition to posing health risks and taxing the grid, high temperatures can slow trains as rails expand, snarling transportation.
Across the Midwest and parts of the South, 16 daily records may fall on Tuesday, with the majority of them from Iowa to West Virginia.
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--With assistance from Mark Chediak.
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