California facing fresh blackouts

FOLSOM, California (CNN) -- Californians are being warned that the lights could go off Monday and Tuesday as temperatures in the power-short state head toward triple digits.

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which controls most of the state's power grid, issued a warning that there is a "potential" for interruptions in electric service between noon and 8 p.m. both days (3 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET). On Monday, power demand is projected to peak at 3 p.m. (6 p.m. ET).

As of late morning Monday, CAISO had not declared a power emergency. Rolling blackouts would not occur until a Stage 3 emergency is declared, which means that power reserves are less than 1.5 percent of demand.

Monday's warning marked the first time that the CAISO has tried to give Californians advance notice that blackouts are possible. Gov. Gray Davis issued an executive order June 1 that requires the warnings, which are designed to lessen the impact of sudden, unannounced outages.

Californians will be given one-hour notice when the chance of outages goes from "potential" to "probable."

Temperatures in the Los Angeles basin and interior sections of the state are forecast to reach well into the 90s or above Monday, with highs of 104 degrees predicted for Fresno and 101 degrees for Bakersfield.