Kansas – Johnson County residents should continue to try to conserve energy and anticipate potential temporary service outages Tuesday as bitterly cold weather continues to grip the region.
That’s according to utility Evergy, which instituted some rolling blackouts Monday in the Kansas City area to try to deal with the effects of one of the coldest snaps the region has experienced in decades.
Here is what you need to know heading into another frigid day:
Will there be more rolling blackouts Tuesday?
- Yes. Evergy announced Tuesday it would begin another round of controlled outages Tuesday in order to reduce load on the region’s power grid.
- The rolling blackouts come at the behest of the Southwest Power Pool, which coordinates power supply for 17 states in the central U.S.,
- The Southwest Power Pool said Monday that conditions could “fluctuate” over the next 48 hours, necessitating more controlled blackouts.
If there are blackouts, how long will they last?
- Evergy says “controlled, temporary” outages should last between 30 and 60 minutes.
- Once a planned outage has concluded, power will be restored to the impacted area.
- Emergency outages could then rotate to another portion of Evergy’s service area.
What if my power stays off for longer than 60 minutes?
- This could happen, even with a planned outage.
- Evergy notes that with the extreme cold temperatures being experienced this week, equipment may not operate as intended, prolonging even intentional outages.
- Anyone experiencing an outage that lasts longer than an hour can report it to evergy.com or call 888-544-4852. Or call 800-544-4857, for Kansas Central customers.
Is there anything I can do in the meantime?
- Evergy continues to ask customers to take steps at home to conserve energy in order to help reduce stress on the power grid.
- This includes turning thermostats down to between 65-68 degrees, avoiding the use of electric space heaters and limiting use of large appliances like washers and dryers.
- Also, close blinds and shades to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.
- And turn off lights and appliances when not in use.
When is this going to end?
- The good news is, according to the National Weather Service’s Kansas City field office, a gradual warm-up begins later Tuesday.
- Temperatures are expected to be in the 20s by Wednesday and Thursday, and we could get back above freezing by the weekend.
- Still, a wind chill warning remains in effect until noon Tuesday, with winds making it feel at times like -25 to -35 degrees.
