Powerful cold
Coldest day since January sets power record.
Powerful cold
If you were reluctant to get out of bed this morning, you're probably human. The temperature dropped to 19 in Philadelphia for the first time since Feb. 7, and those biting winds didn't make the great outdoors any more inviting.
As mentioned, yesterday's high of 27 was the lowest maximum temperature in Philadelphia since January, and it was a huge day for power usage.
The PJM Interconnection, which encompasses all of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and 11 other states, set an all-time December record for power usage yesterday, with 115,723 megawatts.
That beat the old December record set two years ago. February 2007 holds the all-time winter record.
The cold is forecast to ease a tad today, but temperatures probably won't get above 30, and Philadelphia may not see 40 again for another week.
Tony Wood has been writing about the atmosphere for The Inquirer for 26 years. E-mail Tony here. And read all his columns here.
