On July 9, 2024, U.S. power plant operators in the Lower 48 states generated 6.9 million MWh of electricity from natural gas, marking a record high since the collection of hourly data began on January 1, 2019. This surge in natural gas-fired generation was driven by exceptionally high temperatures across the country and a significant decrease in wind generation. The National Weather Service reported that temperatures on July 9 were well above average nationwide, with particularly high temperatures on the West Coast and East Coast. Concurrently,…