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Sacramento Area Cooling Centers Open Early As Heat Continues To Soar

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - On Sunday, cooling centers opened earlier than usual as the triple digit temperatures continued to climb.

"If they rise above 75 degrees, that's when we're concerned because there's no time for a person to cool off," said Steve Cantelme, Sacramento Emergency Services.

Normally cooling centers open when there are three consecutive days with the lows above 75 degrees, but emergency services wanted to err on the side of caution.

"With this hot weather you need to take all the precautions you can," said Cantelme.

The California Independent System Operator Corporation issued a Flex Alert for Monday and Tuesday between noon and 7 p.m. Customers are asked to conserve energy during the heat wave because of concerns some power plants might go offline.

"There's been some wear and tear on equipment as this heat wave picks up steam," said Stephanie McCorkle, Cal-ISO.

She says there's more demand this summer, a sign the economy is recovering.

"That means we'll start seeing the kinds of demand we saw before 2008," said McCorkle.

Conservation is key to preventing rolling blackouts, much like the once California saw in the early 2000s.

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