Continued hot weather during the peak of the dry summer season has resulted in Red Flag warnings through weather notifications. This can impact the behavior of a local energy coop like Lower Valley Energy (LVE).

A Red Flag warning is a weather notice issued by the National Weather Service for a selected area. This warning forecasts warm temperatures, low humidity in dried field moistures and strong winds expected within 24 hours. The combination of these increased risks results in an increased risk for a woodland fire or rapid-fire growth if an incident were to occur.

During these warnings, LVE shows a high level of concern and in so doing places their system on a “more sensitive setting” according to a recent report from the coop. “These heightened periods of awareness could cause more blinks, and/or longer outages, or even power shutoffs in high-risk areas.”

According to the information from LVE, patrons may experience a “blink” if there is trouble in the area of the grid. This would result in the system trying to resort power through the use of “re-closers.”

“However, during Red Flag Warnings, we temporarily disable these re-closers to reduce the risk of sparking a wildfire,” LVE stated. “This means that even a small issue could result in a power outage until we can manually verify the safety of the system. There will be more possible blinks and slower power restoration during these heightened periods. To ensure safety, we will carefully inspect the power grid before restoring power after an outage. This may take longer than usual.”

LVE is asking patrons and other residents to inform them of anything that could cause an issue during this sensitive time.

“If you see something, say something,” the information added. “Trees in the line, a flash with our equipment, etc. We can all help to keep our community safe and our grid reliable. We understand that power interruptions can be inconvenient, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation during these critical times. Your safety and the protection of our community are our top priorities.”

Temperatures in Star Valley continue to be forecast mainly in the mid to upper 80s for the next week with potential gusting winds on Thursday and Friday. The only precipitation in the next week is for a 20-percent chance on Friday afternoon.