Currently in Toronto — May 24th, 2022
The weather, currently.
Bright skies to start the new (short) work week. Expect mainly sunny skies for your Tuesday morning wakeup with a temperature near 12°C. A sprawling ridge over The Great Lakes will prevent a disturbance that is sitting well south of us from affecting our region. As a result, there will mainly be sunny skies, with just a few scattered clouds for Tuesday and a high of 20°C. It can easily be a "shorts" day for the kids as they head to school. The UV index will be 9 or very high.
Tuesday night: mainly clear with a low of 11°C.
What you need to know, currently.
The global power grid is in for the test of all tests this summer. In fact, because of climate change’s various effects, including heat waves, droughts and wildfires, many areas in the U.S. are at risk of blackouts this summer.
Hot, sweltering summers mean more people need power to cool their homes. But as rising temperatures increase the demand for electricity, droughts reduce the amount of power available.
According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation annual summer assessment released last week, the Upper Midwest is facing a capacity shortfall — which is when the demand for energy is greater than the supply that’s available — resulting in a higher risk of energy emergencies, like blackouts.
The West Coast could also face a power shortage emergency. Drought conditions in the West also means that there is less water for hydroelectric power and in turn, power plants.
All in all, the climate crisis is threatening the power grid.
—Aarohi Sheth