The Pittsburgh region is under an extreme heat warning from the National Weather Service until Friday, with temperatures expected to reach the mid- to upper-90s, and heat indices exceeding 100 degrees.
Duquesne Light is urging customers to take precautionary measures and expect the possibility of power outages.
“The biggest strain on the grid typically is in the early afternoon, the hottest part of the day,” said Matt Niestein, director of communications at Duquesne Light. “So if you could avoid doing laundry, running the dishwasher, charging your car — if you could save those for more early morning or into the evening hours, that certainly helps the grid during its peak stress time.”
In the event of a power outage, the company advises avoiding opening refrigerator and freezer doors to maintain temperatures. Food will stay frozen in a fully loaded freezer for 36-48 hours if the door remains closed. Residents should also keep cell phones fully charged and check on elderly family and neighbors throughout the heat wave.
Neisten also said not to forget about four-legged friends.
“I have a dog,” he said, “He likes to run in the yard, but this is not a good time for him to have prolonged exposure, and even walking on the hot pavement.”
Customers can sign up for outage notifications through their Duquesne Light account, and should call 911 for any emergency medical issues that could be impacted by an outage.
As the heat wave persists, local communities are also taking steps to protect residents. Five Pittsburgh-area cooling centers are now open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Thursday, July 2.
Some communities pushed their regularly scheduled trash pickup times earlier than usual so that the bulk of the collection occurs during cooler temperatures. This adjustment prevents crews from prolonged exposure to the high heat.
Residents can check with their local municipality to see if their pickups have been modified. Changes have been announced for several communities, including Mt. Lebanon, Shaler Township, Robinson Township, Pleasant Hills Borough, and Brentwood Borough.
The PNC Carousel animals are also getting a break from the heat. The attraction will close from Wednesday, July 1 through Friday, July 3. A regularly scheduled closure remains in place on July 4, but they’ll be back in action for family fun on Sunday, July 5.
Thankfully, the hazardous temperatures begin to back off in time for the holiday.
“Friday is kind of the last day that it’s excessively hot,” said Jared Rackley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. “We’ll still be above average over the weekend with highs in the 90s, but it won’t be quite as warm.”