Austin mayor gives tips on energy conservation as thick of summer heat blankets city [Video]

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Mayor Kirk Watson on Monday held a press conference to update the public on electric grid conditions and provide tips on how to conserve energy as the thick of the summer heat is impacting Central Texas.

Austin saw an unseasonably cool and wet July, with the average temperature for the month being cooler than June’s — for the first time since 2008.

READ MORE | Austin’s weather just did something it hasn’t for 16 years — June was hotter than July

However, August is heating the Austin metro area back up. According to the KXAN First Warning Weather Team, the Climate Prediction Center’s forecast from August 19th through 25th is forecasting hotter and drier than normal weather conditions. This means that we are in for several more days of triple-digit heat with “normal” highs in the upper 90s.

Watson warned Austinites Monday as temperatures rise, the statewide electric grid, overseen by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas(ERCOT) — could get tight over the rest …