Utilities Swap Megawatts as Midwest Sizzles

Electric companies throughout the Midwest reached peak energy demands today, swapping megawatts among themselves to help keep area residents cool as the Southern heat wave blazed as far west as the Dakotas.

The Southeast remained entrenched in the sizzling heat wave that entered its 13th day today, prompting a sun-tortured disc jockey to play his favorite Christmas carols.

The heat was blamed for at least 17 deaths--15 in the South and two in the Midwest.

Included in the heat-related deaths were at least nine people in Georgia, two in each of the Carolinas, one in Virginia, one in Louisiana and two in Indiana.

Chicago Power Strained

Utility companies in Ohio reached peak demands Thursday and were headed for a repetition as temperatures shot up to 95 by noon in Columbus. Commonwealth Edison customers in Chicago strained energy limits for a third consecutive day.

Increased energy demands forced utilities to buy power from other utility companies, said ComEd spokesman Carter Brydon.

“Not only is it a burden for one utility, but it can be a burden for a whole group of utilities,” Brydon said.

Hot and humid air pumped into the Great Lakes, keeping temperatures in the mid 90s. Midwesterners braced for continued heat through at least the weekend as the heat wave kept creeping westward into the Dakotas.