Article: Record Cold in Central Florida Blows Power-Company Fuses.

Jan. 10--Central Florida shivered Wednesday morning as record-setting temperatures knocked out electricity to about 20,000 households and threatened the region's cold-sensitive fern crops.

About 15,000 of Florida Power's 586,000 customers in Central Florida suffered outages, and nearly 5,000 customers of the Kissimmee Utility Authority and the Orlando Utilities Commission also lost power.

The biggest draw came between 7 and 8 a.m., as residents awakened to chilly homes and cranked up their thermostats. Florida Power spokesman Craig Eicher said the disruptions occurred when the jump in usage overloaded elements of the distribution system.

...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!