July 16 (Reuters) - U.S. demand for power hit a preliminary hourly record high on Monday as homes and businesses cranked up their air conditioners to escape a brutal heat wave blanketing most of the Lower 48 states on the hottest day so far this summer.
Power demand peaked at a preliminary 743,995 megawatts (MW) on Monday evening around 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT), which would top the current all-time high of 742,704 MW set on July 20, 2022, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) going back to 2016.
Temperatures across the country averaged around 82.1 degrees Fahrenheit (27.8 Celsius), the most since averaging 82.2 F on July 27, 2023, according to data from financial firm LSEG going back to 2018. That compares with a record average of 83.0 F on July 20, 2022.
High temperatures in the biggest cities across the U.S. hit 91 F in New York, 83 F in Los Angeles, 91 F in Chicago, 95 F in Houston and 109 F in Phoenix, according to meteorologists at AccuWeather.
On Tuesday, AccuWeather forecast the mercury would reach 97 F in New York, 83 F in Los Angeles, 80 F in Chicago, 95 F in Houston and 110 F in Phoenix.
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
