Austin, Texas – As Texas prepares for a serious winter weather event this week, state and local officials are wary of the dangers posed by temperatures that will plummet temperatures.
“When the temperature gets cold, lives are at risk,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. “As temperatures plummet, we’ll need to be very cautious in the coming days.”
Gov. Abbott pointed out that “some locations in Texas may be the coldest event ever seen in Texas history,” highlighting the potential severity of the cold snap.
The imminent freeze rekindled memories of the fatal 2021 winter storm and the failure to maintain power in the Texas Electric Reliability Council (ERCOT). Fabianguavita, a resident of Austin, said, “We weren’t in power for at least four days, so it was hard to cook something and keep it warm. It was certainly traumatized.”
Related | Austin City will revitalize cold climate shelters on Tuesday.
However, Ercot officials assured the public that there had been significant improvements to the power grid.
“We’ve added over 13,500 megawatts of new supply to the grid,” said Paul Vegas, CEO of Ercot.
Vegas said, “We expect there will be enough supply to meet demand during this cold climate event.”
While some Austinians are concerned about the repeated 2021 storm, experts advise that current forecasts will predict wind explosions rather than widespread precipitation.
“The wind feels really cold and takes precautions to worry about cold temperatures,” explained Emily Heller, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
Residents are advised to weather the plants and pipes on a shorter opportunity on Tuesday before the freezing temperature begins.
