Last night, Idaho Power customers began receiving text alerts notifying them of a storm coming to the Pacific Northwest. This morning (Wednesday, July 24), Idaho Power notified customers that there is the possibility of your power being shut off because of this storm. This is certainly going to cause people some distress, but it’s the right decision. Here’s why.
What’s happening, and why:
Human-caused climate change made 2023 the hottest year on record (with 2024 on track to break that record). On Sunday, Earth experiences its hottest temperature ever recorded—only to be broken again on Monday. Over the last month, Idaho experienced record-setting high temperatures and record high energy demand. The National Weather Service detailed southern Idaho’s new record: 16 consecutive days above 99°F, breaking the previous 2021 record of 12 consecutive days. Consistently breaking heat records is not normal.
Idaho is also forecasted to have an above average fire season. Weeks of record high temperatures have dried out grasses, trees, and shrubs across the region. The incoming storm event forecasts lightning and 50-70 MPH winds, a disturbing combination considering fuel moistures are already low. A few days ago, Oregon saw thunderstorms sparking well over 60 new fires, British Columbia also saw 100+ new fire ignitions from a lightning storm. While lightning is a natural cause of wildfires, humans are responsible for the overwhelming majority of ignitions.
Utilities have a difficult choice: keep power lines on to supply electricity for people’s air conditioners in this record heat, or temporarily de-energize lines when winds are screaming through to limit the ignition of wildfires?
In the rear-view mirror is the fact that utilities have often been found liable for igniting wildfires during dry conditions with high wind events; 2019 in California, 2020 in Oregon, and 2023 in Hawaii. Who pays for damages is not so straightforward, and in the aftermath of these tragedies the question often arises, “why didn’t utilities do more to stop this from happening?”
There are plenty of mitigation opportunities being explored, like grid-hardening practices, but they take years to complete. Another tool in the toolbox of utilities that’s becoming necessary is to de-energize power lines. This prevents sparking fires if a tree falls on them in a high wind event, like the one we’re expecting. It also makes repairing infrastructure faster and cheaper if trees knock them down when they’re de-energized. De-energizing power lines is a tool that utilities have available today, and human-caused pollution is forcing that decision to be made—because climate change is happening right now. We are breathing in climate change every time we step outside.
What utilities are doing today — notifying customers of a possible power outage because of a thunderstorm entering an area with an extremely high potential for rapid fire spread — is the right decision because the alternatives are untenable, just ask the Paradise Fire survivors. This decision could become more common in the future. The careful decisions made in the control room of Idaho Power today may be unpopular for a few hours, but they will help to keep firefighters from being overwhelmed and ensure people’s homes remain standing.
So what can you do?
- Sign up for outage alerts from your local utility
- Monitor your local air quality and weather alerts with EPA’s AirNow tool.
- Make your home FireWise
- To learn more about the most up to date wildfire research, and new strategies that are increasingly effective, watch the Elemental documentary
- Prepare yourself and your home for emergencies and wildfire smoke
- See DIY videos to make your own air filter for relatively little money
- EPA’s infographic on making an air purifier, and general information
- You can make your own air purifier with a fan, filter, and bungee cord.
- You can make your own air purifier with a fan, filter, and brackets.
- Don’t forget about farmworkers who have been working day and night! Consider a contribution to an active Heat and Smoke fund to bring them basic supplies to stay safe and hydrated.
Stay updated on climate change — and the efforts to fight it — by becoming a member of the Idaho Conservation League and signing up for bimonthly ICL Climate email updates.