Winter storm causes power outages for more than 2.8 million in Texas
Power outages in Texas are likely to occur throughout Monday (Feb. 15) and Tuesday (Feb. 16).
Severe winter weather left almost three million people in Texas without power early Monday morning (Feb. 15) after the entire state had below-freezing temperatures. According to CNN, most of the state received snowfall, including San Angelo, which earned its snowiest day on record with 10 inches. Dallas received four inches of snow to tie for its seventh snowiest day on record.
Sylvester Turner, mayor of Houston, took to Twitter to warn residents without power that they may remain without electricity for the remainder of the day. “The electricity grid continues to lose generation,” he tweeted. “If you are without power, you may be without power throughout the day. Please do your best to stay warm safely. Check on our seniors.”
The rotating outages could continue until the state’s weather advisory ends, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which controls about 90 percent of the state’s electricity.
“Power outages will likely be reoccurring throughout Monday and Tuesday. We are experiencing winter weather for which we have not experienced in decades,” the Houston Office of Emergency Management tweeted.
The power outages came just a few days after five people were killed during a 100-vehicle pileup in Fort Worth, Texas due to poor weather conditions from icy roads. First responders went from vehicle to vehicle checking to see if any people were trapped in their cars. During the accident, the temperatures reached the mid-20s and authorities had to ensure that the victims remained warm.
Dozens of people were transported to local hospitals following the crash and the Fort Worth weather office urged people to stay home or drive carefully. “These events are so dangerous because the ice is spotty,” the office tweeted. “We can’t stress enough that road conditions could go from good to dangerous within blocks. Take it slow out there.”
The REVOLT team is sending our thoughts and prayers out to everyone experiencing these dangerous weather conditions throughout the country. Please stay safe.