Cold strains power grids new storm11/13/2023 The rest of the country tends to run on regional power, under more uniform regulations. More than 100 people died, and the storms caused an estimated $295 billion in damage for a unique state-run power grid, known as ERCOT. Texas is equipped to ramp up its power when high air-conditioning use kicks in, but a winter storm, and its impact on broken gauges from the energy sources feeding the utilities, was not in the playbook. That year, record-breaking snowstorms knocked out power for nearly 4.5 million homes in Texas as icy conditions and home-heating demands overwhelmed much of the state’s power supply, which is fed by a combination of natural gas The government has made upgrading the power grid a priority but any response still won’t be in time for this storm, and it bears down with the deadly Texas power outage of 2021 still top of mind. Read: Six survival tips for traveling by car during a blizzard Spending on the grid “The National Weather Service’s Watch Warning graphic depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever,” the agency said. In response to the late-week storm, more than a dozen governors have launched emergency-response plans. Other winter weather alerts are in effect for blizzard conditions, ice, snow, and even flooding. Read: Five tips for staying safe and warm during a power outage are under wind chill alerts from the Canadian border to the Mexican border and from Washington state to Florida, with below-zero wind chills expected in the Southeast by Friday. And agreeing on repairs is complicated by the web of state, regional and federal regulatory hurdles to consider.įor now, it could be days for power to return to trouble spots in the country and conditions for outdoor workers are extremely dangerous. Some estimates put the price tag on an electricity grid overhaul at upwards of $2 trillion, according to SwissRe. electricity flow, is more than 40 years, the agency found. The average age of large power transformers, which handle 90% of U.S. transmission lines are more than 25 years old in the agency’s most recent network-infrastructure review, held back in 2015. Department of Energy found that 70% of U.S. electric grid was given a C- grade by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Severe weather can bring havoc to even the sturdiest portions of the power grid, but there’s no doubt that each winter (and in summer’s extremes), the country braces for the worst given the age and general vulnerability of the electricity grid for the globe’s largest economy. Friday it was in the single digits.Among the largest clusters of powerless businesses and homes, over 150,000 customers were without lights and potentially, heat, in North Carolina and over 102,000 were without power in much-colder Connecticut, the site said.ĭon’t miss: Climate change and the polar vortex: Winter storms are normal, but this string of severe Christmas weather isn’t typical Friday, the high in Philly was 59 degrees. Friday, temperatures were in the low 50s, but as the arctic blast arrived, temperatures plunged into the 20s during the afternoon and dropped into the single-digits overnight. The blustery and painfully cold wind continues during the day Saturday (Christmas Eve).Īround 6 a.m. The most intense and painful cold will be felt through Saturday morning. The coldest Christmas since 1989 is expected. You should also limit time outdoors and have a vehicle safety kit in your car.īrutal cold is the big story through all of Christmas weekend. So, bundle up and be sure to keep your pets warm and check on the elderly. Though it warmed slightly during the day Saturday, temps continued to feel like the single digits, at best. Sub-zero feels-like temps were felt from the Poconos down to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Plunging Temps, Power ConcernsĪs the sun rose on Saturday morning, the high in Philly was just 8 degrees with winds gusting up to 23 mph making it feel like -13. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters. Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox.
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