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Up to 2.5 mln in US Texas without power due to winter storm
Published: Feb 16, 2021 08:54 AM

A gas station is closed due to power outage in Houston, Texas, the United States, on Feb. 15, 2021. Up to 2.5 million customers were without power in the U.S. state of Texas Monday morning as the state's power generation capacity is impacted by an ongoing winter storm brought by Arctic blast. (Photo by Chengyue Lao/Xinhua)


Up to 2.5 million customers were without power in the U.S. state of Texas Monday morning as the state's power generation capacity is impacted by an ongoing winter storm brought by Arctic blast.

According to poweroutage.us, up to 2.5 million Texas customers experienced power outage Monday morning with some reports of blackout in the Houston area.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) declared an "energy emergency alert three" because electricity supplies can't meet the high demand. The alert means rotating outages which typically last between 15 minutes and one hour. The rolling blackouts could repeat, all the way through Tuesday morning, according to ERCOT officials.

According to the National Weather Service, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the southeast part of Texas and will last through Monday afternoon as temperatures went below zero Monday morning.

The on-ramp to a highway is closed due to snow and ice in Houston, Texas, the United States, on Feb. 15, 2021. Up to 2.5 million customers were without power in the U.S. state of Texas Monday morning as the state's power generation capacity is impacted by an ongoing winter storm brought by Arctic blast. (Photo by Chengyue Lao/Xinhua)



A Winter Storm Warning means significant snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel within 24 hours.

On top of that, a Wind Chill Warning will go into effect at midnight in southwest Texas, the first-ever such warning issued for the area, said the National Weather Service.

A Wind Chill Warning means the combination of very cold air and strong winds will create dangerously low wind chill values. This will result in frost bite and can lead to hypothermia or death if precautions are not taken.

A highway is closed due to snow and ice in Houston, Texas, the United States, on Feb. 15, 2021. Up to 2.5 million customers were without power in the U.S. state of Texas Monday morning as the state's power generation capacity is impacted by an ongoing winter storm brought by Arctic blast. (Photo by Chengyue Lao/Xinhua)



As Arctic air is moving down south, the coldest February temperatures in 122 years are predicted to reach Houston by Tuesday morning. With temperatures staying below freezing and another winter storm likely on Wednesday, travel could be impacted throughout the work week.