ERCOT issues weather watch Wednesday through Friday due to arctic blast, dangerous wind chills
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a weather watch from Feb. 19-21 due to the extreme cold weather on the way.
ERCOT, which operates and manages power grids for 90% of the state, said that during that time frame, it expects higher electrical demand and the potential for lower reserves. Grid conditions are expected to be normal during a weather watch.
During a press conference with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said he expects an adequate supply of electricity to meet demands during this winter weather event.
No action is needed by Texans during this time, but reducing electric use during peak demand times can help save and lower demand on the grid, according to ERCOT.
The National Weather Service issued an extreme cold weather watch, in effect from Tuesday night into Thursday morning for temperatures in the teens with the "feels-like" temperature dipping into the single digits or approaching -10 degrees.
Morning temperatures on Wednesday will drop to 17 degrees with the high not warming above the freezing mark and by Thursday morning, temperatures drop to 14 degrees. If North Texas reaches that forecast low, then that would break the 86-year-old low-temperature record of 18 degrees.
Texans can monitor grid conditions here.
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