California could face rolling blackouts on Tuesday with extreme heat building

(KYMA, KECY/ NBC News) - The excessive heat wave in the west is taxing the power grid in California, leaving thousands in the dark and facing its highest chance of blackouts this year.

According to officials, the extreme heat is causing transformers to blow in several areas - calling for potential rolling blackouts across the state if the power strain continues.

Due to this, the California Independent System Operator issued an emergency alert watch from 5 to 9 p.m.

The state could fall 2,000 to 4,000 megawatts of electricity short of its power supply, which represents as much as 10% of normal demand.

Therefore, state officials are now urging consumers to limit their electricity use to avoid strain on the power grid.

They are urging people to do this by setting their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher and avoiding the use of all major appliances, while turning off all unnecessary lights.