Place Your Bets! Texas Xmas Freeze 2022!

[Paratus]

Texas power grid expected to withstand extreme cold this week

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas expects sufficient electricity generation as much of the state will plunge into frigid temperatures.

www.texastribune.org

Looking at potentially 2-3 days of freezing temperatures. ERCOT says it’s ready, but do we believe them?

Place your bets!

 

[allisolm]

"Texans should prepare to endure frigid temperatures beginning Thursday night and lasting at least until Saturday, the National Weather Service warned."

Guess when My husband and I arrive in Texas. Yup. Friday. Let's hope the grid holds.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Last two times San Antonio dropped into the teens we had rolling blackouts, so expecting it again starting Friday morning when the forecast low is 18.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Also the blackouts aren't ERCOT's fault, though the republican assholes here try to lay the blame on them. The Texas Public Utility Commission, staffed exclusively by direct appointees from Greg Abbot and Rick Perry, is who controls our grid. Our grid being such shit is directly the fault of our republican governors.

 

[Wreckem]

It’s not going to be that bad. Outside for a few hours late Thursday night and Friday morning the temps in Dallas will be 20-33 for most to try 72 hour period. In 2021 the whole state was below freezing during the day with north Texas being in the single digits. This event most of the state will have overnight low below freezing but day time temps above freezing. It’s also a 3 day event vs a 7-9 day event.

I’m headed down to Galveston on Thursday to leave on a cruise on Friday. I’m moving my agave into my garage(they are in planters). Thankfully no winter weather so line issues should be minimal unlike in 2021 as well. I have someone staying at my place through most of the 72 hours.

 

[Paratus]

It’s going to be bad enough. Although bad enough in this case means killing our garden which my wife and I spent a weekend weeding and replanting a few weeks ago.

Truthfully I’ll have to spend Thursday afternoon covering plants, re-insulting hose valves, draining the sprinkler system, and dragging the potted plants inside.

 

[Fenixgoon]

It’s going to be bad enough. Although bad enough in this case means killing our garden which my wife and I spent a weekend weeding and replanting a few weeks ago.

Truthfully I’ll have to spend Thursday afternoon covering plants, re-insulting hose valves, draining the sprinkler system, and dragging the potted plants inside.

Yeah you tell those hose valves how they're giant pieces of shit and don't deserve to be in your garden

 

[pete6032]

Do most Texas homes have furnaces?

 

[sdifox]

Well they should be about as prepared as the last time so yeah deep freeze incoming.

 

[Pens1566]

Perfect timing for xmas.

 

[thilanliyan]

Is freezing weather in Texas normal?
I always thought Texas stayed warm (15C+) year round.

 

[HomerJS]

People of Texas re-elected Abbott so they deserve what they get

 

[Fenixgoon]

Is freezing weather in Texas normal?
I always thought Texas stayed warm (15C+) year round.

Nope it can get chilly in the winter. When I was there a few years ago (Austin) I think it got down to 0C or maybe just above for a few nights. Definitely dipped down to 5C-ish for a while.

The northern part of the state, in the panhandle, probably get a decent bit colder on average.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Is freezing weather in Texas normal?
I always thought Texas stayed warm (15C+) year round.

Texas is a really big place, the distance from Amarillo (northern most large city) and Brownsville (southern most large city) is 1265km. Some of the southern areas of Texas stay somewhat warm with average lows around 12C in winter, northern areas of Texas, like the Dallas area, can get considerably colder, the average December temperatures are around 4C, with it not being uncommon to drop to -10C, but it is rare for that to last more than a day or so. What has been happening is that we are getting sustained temperatures across much of the state much lower than normal. This is starting to look less like unusual events than climate change.

Oh, and for placing my bet? I am betting that most of Texas will be just fine, there might be some rolling blackouts, but no major grid failure like last time. The extreme cold is going to be mostly at off-peak times, and it will warm up before the grid fails. But this is only December. In Texas Winter does not really begin until mid-to-late January. That is when we should worry.

 

[MrPickins]

Do most Texas homes have furnaces?

They do. Most have central A/C and heat.

As for the temperatures, it's supposed to get to 15F (-9.5C) Thursday night, which is probably 25 F lower than average, and about 5-10F lower than we'd see as a lowest temp in an average winter.

It's going to be much colder than usual, but not that cold, and for a fairly short duration.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Do most Texas homes have furnaces?

Matters on what you mean by furnaces. I have a natural gas furnace in my attic, but it requires electricity to run the blowers, without electric power it won't work. No one has oil heaters or anything similar. I know of a few really old houses that has ceramic gas heaters that will work without electricity, but that is extremely rare.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Y’all on electric heat or some shit?

It’s December in New England so I’m happy it’s above 32 during the day still

electric fired oil tankless is my setup

 

[dawp]

Is freezing weather in Texas normal?
I always thought Texas stayed warm (15C+) year round.

lived in TX for around 22 years in the DFW area, you could count on at least one severe ice/freezing rain storm every year. so no, it's not always warm there

 

[SMOGZINN]

electric fired oil tankless is my setup

So, if the electricity should go out for a week or two you would be freezing as well?

 

[ch33zw1z]

So, if the electricity should go out for a week or two you would be freezing as well?

yep, I would need a generator to keep it going.

been there

 

[hal2kilo]

I'm already sick of this winter. 13 inches 2 weeks ago that only melted down to 4 before we got 6 more last night. Oh, it sucks living in the snowiest place in the lowland Puget Sound area. This is the worst so far since 2007. Seems it gets extreme on both ends of the season now. Believe it or not we are behind in moisture due to the summer/fall shortfall. My back already hurts.
It will be a white Xmas, damnit.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I guess I should add that it doesn't just "go out" because it gets cold 'round here, at least in my 35 years in New England. If it goes out, it's due to a bad weather, or some kind of accident where vehicles go off the road and take out power lines.

The last time I can remember going without heat due to weather is a snowstorm October 29, 2011 that crushed the entire region.

Not only was it a lot of snow, but the fall had been very mild, and the temperature was barely freezing...

Cool, right?

Wrong for these reasons:

1. Mild fall meant most of the trees still had green leaves, and barely any had fallen by the end of October. We we're all enjoying it pretty thoroughly.
2. 32 F meant the snow was very heavy and wet.
3. Trees leaved in green acted as catchers mitt's. The snow literally was "caught" by the trees, breaking enormous amount of large branches, and many trees just falling down altogether.

It took weeks to clean up some areas, I had no power for 7 days. to this day there's still some hangers up in the trees that haven't rotted enough to fall.

Maybe I'll dig up some pictures I took if I care to.

edit: Pictures added, lower numbers are pictures from the house down the driveway, the two higher numbers are up the driveway.

 

[Thump553]

I suppose the only way to get an accurate forecast is to find out where Ted Cruz is going to be.

 

[Muse]

I'm already sick of this winter. 13 inches 2 weeks ago that only melted down to 4 before we got 6 more last night. Oh, it sucks living in the snowiest place in the lowland Puget Sound area. This is the worst so far since 2007. Seems it gets extreme on both ends of the season now. Believe it or not we are behind in moisture due to the summer/fall shortfall. My back already hurts.
It will be a white Xmas, damnit.

Winter doesn't start until 1:48PM this afternoon.

 

[IronWing]

Winter doesn't start until 1:48PM this afternoon.

Only because some jack moved the calendar. Tonight is mid-winter's eve. Winter traditionally started on Halloween and ended with Imbolc (Groundhog Day). The traditional dates make much more sense climate-wise and with respect to the solar year.