Texas Cold Snap/Winter Storm Prompts Flashback To 2021 Nightmare

Lots of winter-related alerts in Houston this week as
the worst cold wave in three years descended. Unlike
the 2021 disaster, the state's electrical grid is
expected to survive this cold snap, probably. 

 For the first time this winter, it's cold across pretty much all of Texas. 

Wind chill alerts extend from Amarillo in the northern panhandle to Brownsville at the southern tip of the state. 

Freezing drizzle has been falling in spots around Texas, causing gridlock on the roads.  

This is all prompting flashbacks to the February, 2021 disaster. In that case, record cold combined with incompetent management of the Texas electrical grid created long lasting, widespread power outages. 

As a result, at least 246 Texans died in the freeze, though some estimates brought the total to at least 700. Damage amounted to more than $1 billion as frozen pipes burst statewide, causing widespread property destruction.

The still not aptly named Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT was urging people to conserve electricity today to prevent another round of blackouts. 

Stores reported some panic buying, as people cleared shelves of bread, milk and other household groceries. 

So far, though, unlike in 2021, the Texas electrical grid appears to be holding up. Mostly because this freeze is not as deep and won't be as long lasting as the one three years ago.

Plus, in a rare spasm of actually making sense, the Texas Legislature passed rules requiring ERCOT to do a better job of winterizing equipment ahead of the cold season.   Plus a ton more giant batteries and wind and solar generating stations have been built in Texas since 2021.  The stored energy in batteries can be a backup if other parts of the grid fail.

 That should help ERCOT manage this cold snap. It's a decent test to see whether green energy can help during severe weather. 

Anyway, the current freeze is still impressive and causing plenty of trouble in Texas. Especially southern and southeastern parts of the state where intense cold is not common.

Record low temperatures were reported around Houston this morning, including 19 degrees at Bush Intercontinental Airport, 21 degrees at Hobby Airport in Houston and 17 in College Station. 

Many schools and business are closed in Houston and around today after ice formed on the city's many highway overpasses and bridges. 

On the bright side, the cold will end quickly in Texas. By Thursday, forecast highs in Dallas are in the mid-50s and Houston should reach the mid-60s. 

Video: Only a little bit of icy on Houston freeways, but what a mess!  Click on this link to view or if you see image below, click on that: