Topline
Houston's energy provider has told customers who've lost power to not expect it to be restored Monday, leaving potentially over a million customers without access to heat during what is forecasted to be one of the coldest nights in the city's history.
Lia Ubidia, left, and her son, Andrew Velarde, carry groceries as they walk home through the snow ... [+]
Key Facts
A massive winter storm has brought historically cold temperatures to much of Texas, crippling the state's power supply.
According to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D), 1,153,000 CenterPoint customers were without power Monday afternoon, with more than 2.8 million without power across the state as a whole, according to poweroutage.us.
The National Weather Service has a forecast low of 10 degrees for Houston Monday night, very near the coldest temperature the city has ever recorded: 5 degrees on Jan. 18, 1930.
Rolling power outages across the state of Texas have taken place Monday, as the state works to preserve its electric supply after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said natural gas and coal generators used to power the state froze.
A convention center converted into a warming shelter reached capacity just before 2 p.m. Central time Monday afternoon, Turner said.
Crucial Quote
"Extensive damage has already occurred with power generation plants, water plants, and failures of back up generators where fuel supplies are freezing. Natural gas connections are also freezing and this is resulting in natural gas outages in some areas," said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District.
Key Background
A massive winter storm is bringing significant impacts to much of the eastern United States, from south Texas all the way to the northern tip of Maine. Significant snowfall is occurring on the northern and western sides of the storm, while freezing rain is leading to ice storm conditions on the eastern edge of the system. Most of the U.S. population was under some sort of winter weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service Monday, leading to the extraordinary situation of the entire state of Texas for a time being under a winter storm warning.
What To Watch For
Yet another major winter storm is expected to hit Texas Tuesday night into Wednesday, prompting further concern about what could happen to the state's power supply.
Tangent
A Harris County health storage facility lost power early Monday morning and its backup generator failed, leading to 8,400 doses of the Moderna vaccine being spoiled if they were not administered quickly. Vaccines have since been dispersed to the county jail, Rice University and three local hospitals, though the doses are not being offered to the general public as officials urge residents to stay off of frozen roadways.
Further Reading
Millions Without Power, Vaccination Sites Disrupted As Winter Storm Sweeps U.S. (Forbes)
Harris County hustles to distribute 8,400 COVID-19 vaccines after freezer loses power (Houston Chronicle)
