On Friday and Saturday of February 12 & 13, temperatures dropped all over Texas. Texans everywhere rushed out to stock up and prepare, and HEB was just as packed as the day before Thanksgiving. But Texans had never faced such frigid conditions, so they had no idea what was to come. Now, power companies are overwhelmed. Here’s how energy sources fared in the Lone Star State.
Couldn’t Stand The Weather
In this state, the heater comes on when outside temperatures dip below 70. The cold front started coming in on Friday, with the ice arriving on Saturday. The trouble began on Valentine’s Day, when the snow brought record-breaking freezing temperatures. Texans cranked the heater up. This overwhelmed cities’ power systems. Those who have gas systems were the only ones with consistent heat. All major cities, especially those in the southern TX half, had to roll power throughout the city. On Monday, the power came on and off for about 30 minutes at a time while each grid took a turn. 4 million Texans had no power at all. As Monday night pressed on, the gap between active power widened, and the power would only be on for a couple of minutes.
Additionally, CPS urged everyone to conserve as much power as possible. They suggested keeping the thermostat on 68, unplugging all unused appliances, and turn off all unused lights.
Another problem Texas faced is everything freezing up. Hundreds of pipes froze and broke open. Even wind turbines froze and stopped turning. Now, there’s no running water as well as electricity. Frozen phone lines cut off cell service. Lastly, stay off of Texas roads when it snows and ices over. On Saturday morning, there was a 100-car pile up on I35 in Fort Worth.
When it freezes in Texas, the whole state shuts down. Power has to evenly distribute accordingly for the city, pipes freeze and break open, cars go all over the road. But, at least nearly all Texans had Monday off due to the snow. Hopefully the state will learn from this past weekend and be better prepared if this happens again. If you live in Texas, let us know what your artcic experience was like.
Stay warm and stay safe! Please keep your animals warm and safe as well.
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Tracy is the Design Manager here at Redwood Creative. She’s been designing amazing graphics and web layouts for large and small businesses for upwards of 7 years.
