A winter storm is poised to pummel Texas and the US South later this week, placing the area prone to blackouts and journey mayhem.
About 4 to six inches (10 to fifteen centimeters) of snow and ice will fall throughout southern Oklahoma and Texas, together with Dallas, coating bushes, roads and energy strains from San Antonio to northern Louisiana, mentioned Peter Mullinax, a forecaster on the US Weather Prediction Center.
The system “goes to be a disruptive one with vital accumulations of snow and ice,” Mullinax mentioned. It would begin to construct Wednesday night time, getting stronger on Thursday earlier than sweeping east throughout the South on Friday.
The storm is prone to set off widespread energy outages, snarl transportation in a area the place snow plows and salt vans are uncommon, and floor or delay airline visitors. Whereas temperatures gained’t method the intense lows seen through the February 2021 storm that killed greater than 200 individuals and left thousands and thousands with out energy for days, any recurrence of chilly raises concern concerning the stability of the state’s fragile power grid.
Electrical Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s grid operator, warned of potential tight energy circumstances Jan. 8 by way of Jan. 10 as a result of storm. The best likelihood of freezing rain is from the Hill Nation into Northeast Texas, Ercot’s meteorologists mentioned in an internet site posting Monday.
Nonetheless, Ercot expects to have sufficient provide to satisfy the elevated electrical energy utilization. Peak demand is forecast to succeed in about 72.8 gigawatts on Wednesday from 7 to eight a.m., up from Tuesday’s estimated high of 68.9 gigawatts for a similar interval.
Power prices for Tuesday topped $100 a megawatt-hour for the Ercot North hub, which embrace Dallas, for 7 to eight am.. That hour is seen because the riskiest for potential provide shortfalls in excessive circumstances as a result of demand is climbing at the moment and the solar hasn’t but risen excessive sufficient to generate solar energy.
Even earlier than the storm arrives, Texas has been fighting chilly temperatures. Dallas-Fort Value reached a mean of 31F Monday (minus 1C), or 15 under regular, in response to the Nationwide Climate Service.
Houston’s common for the day was 39F, which was additionally 15 under regular. Chilly climate advisories cowl giant elements of the US Gulf Coast from Texas to the Florida Panhandle, in addition to elements of the Southwest. Excessive winds are making temperatures really feel even colder.
Excessive chilly can disrupt oil and gasoline manufacturing by inflicting water vapor in pure gasoline to freeze, creating blockages in wells, pipelines and processing services. Whereas US gasoline output is down about 6% from per week in the past, in response to information compiled by BloombergNEF, there aren’t any indicators but of widespread manufacturing snags. The Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico is probably the most prolific US shale basin.
Learn extra: Large Swath of US Faces Power Supply Risk During Extreme Cold
Snow will fall because the Dallas-Fort Value space prepares for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Basic between the College of Texas and Ohio State soccer groups. As of Monday, organizers mentioned the sport remains to be scheduled for Friday.
The troubles gained’t be remoted to snow and ice. There’s additionally a threat of heavy rain alongside the Gulf of Mexico coast from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana, which may result in flooding in cities together with Houston.
Because the storm strikes east, snow is forecast to pile up from central Arkansas to Memphis, Mullinax mentioned. The system’s observe will decide any additional impacts, which can embrace snow in Asheville, North Carolina, the place residents are nonetheless recovering from 2024’s Hurricane Helene.
Whereas temperatures will drop to freezing and under through the storm, readings will change into milder as soon as the weekend arrives.
Picture: US and Texas state flags in Irving, Texas, on Feb. 03, 2022. Photographer: John Moore/Getty Photos
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