Quick Take:

Officials have issued a flex alert for California from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday citing high temperatures forecast for the Golden State and much of the West.

California’s electrical system operator is issuing a statewide flex alert for Wednesday, citing high temperatures expected across the region and spikes in power demand.

The flex alert will run from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, officials with the California Independent System Operator said.

“With above-normal temperatures in the forecast for much of California and the West, the power grid operator is predicting an increase in electricity demand, primarily from air conditioning use,” said the nonprofit group, which manages the flow of electricity on high-voltage power lines and operates the state’s wholesale energy market.

The California ISO has issued a #FlexAlert for tomorrow, Sept. 8, from 4-9 p.m. due to above-normal temperatures and high energy demand in much of the state and West. Consumers urged to reduce energy use to protect grid reliability. Read the news release: https://t.co/5GTidydloT pic.twitter.com/L0VtWiicWp— California ISO (@California_ISO) September 8, 2021

Although temperatures along and near the coast were not of concern to officials, the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office said inland and mountain portions of Southern California will see potentially dangerous levels of heat.

An excessive heat warning is in effect for the Antelope Valley through Wednesday, the Weather Service said. A heat advisory is in place until Friday for several areas, including the mountainous portions of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Residents can expect temperatures to be 5 to 15 degrees above normal all week, the Weather Service said.

Very warm to hot weather to persist across #SoCal through the week. Dangerously hot conditions in the #AntelopeValley through Wed. #BeattheHeat and be careful with ignition sources. Elevated fire weather conditions in place. #CAwx #LAHeat pic.twitter.com/z1eYwfBoQF— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) September 7, 2021

While the alert’s active, California residents are asked to set their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, if health permits, and to avoid using major appliances and turning on unnecessary lights.

“Conserving electricity during the late afternoon and early evening is crucial because that is when the grid is most stressed due to higher demand and declining solar energy production,” the grid operator said.

The cooperation of residents during previous flex alerts has helped keep the power grid stable during periods of high demand, and prevented other emergency measures, like rolling blackouts, the grid operator said.

What else to do during a flex alert:

  • Adjust your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher during the alert hours, unless medically necessary. Turn it off if you will not be home.
  • Use a fan instead of air conditioning when possible.
  • Draw drapes and turn off unnecessary lighting.
  • Keep the main refrigerator full (with bottles of water if nothing else) and unplug additional refrigerators.
  • Avoid using electrical appliances and devices. Put off tasks such as vacuuming, laundry, running the dishwasher and computer time until after 9 p.m. or do so earlier in the day.
  • Set your pool pump to run overnight instead of during the day.
  • Saving water saves energy.
  • Pre-cool your home by lowering the thermostat.
  • Find more tips at flexalert.org.

Staff writer Hayley Smith contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.