Energy officials are asking state residents to conserve gas and electricity until 10 o'clock tonight.
The California Independent System Operator issued a statewide Flex Alert this afternoon, saying the cold snap in parts of the Midwest, East and Canada is causing a natural gas shortage here.
"Turn off unneeded lights, put off using your large appliances until after 10 o'clock, turn down or turn off your heater," said Stephanie McCorkle of the ISO. "And remember that saving water means you also save energy, so water conservation is also appreciated."
McCorkle said the power plants affected are in Southern California, but conservation is being urged statewide to free up power for that region.
More from the Sacramento Bee:
A flex alert is the least serious of the warnings issued by the ISO. When reserve power falls below 7 percent of demand, the ISO can begin imposing blackouts on large industrial customers that have “interruptible” contracts in return for discounts.