The severe heat wave across Southern California has led to widespread power outages, affecting tens of thousands of residents. In San Diego County, outages peaked at 14,000 customers, primarily due to the strain on air conditioning systems during the intense heat. Valley Center Municipal Water District remained unaffected due to their investment in automatic generators. Los Angeles County experienced significant disruptions, with LADWP restoring power to 71,000 customers and dealing with overloaded equipment and blown-out transformers. Many residents resorted to staying in hotels or with family, while others faced spoiled food and medication due to the lack of refrigeration. Authorities recommend pre-cooling homes and setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher to mitigate the stress on the power grid.