Flex Alert issued for Thursday due to expected high temperatures

(KION) The California Independent System Operator has issued a Flex Alert for Thursday evening.

Between 3 and 10 p.m., the agency is calling for Californians to conserve energy because they expect higher demand due to high temperatures.

According to the National Weather Service, critical fire weather conditions are possible from the middle to end of this week across higher elevations of the north and east bay and into the Santa Cruz Mountains. There is a red flag warning in effect until 11 a.m. Friday for the Diablo Range in Santa Clara County and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Heat advisories are also in effect.

California ISO says wildfires are a concern for the reliability of the grid because fire can cause outages on transmission lines, but there are currently no wildfires directly threatening high-voltage lines.

To conserve energy, California ISO suggests pre-cooling buildings before 3 p.m., and after that, set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher. People can also use fans, turn off unnecessary lights and appliances or use major appliances in the morning or late evening instead.