ERCOT Warns of “Elevated Risk” For Extreme Winter Weather, Possible Blackouts in Texas

While temperatures across Texas have finally cooled off, it's likely that you aren't even thinking about the chances of a severe winter storm hitting the state any time soon. But the lead meteorologist for the Texas power grid is looking ahead, and he sees a risk of "extreme winter weather" possibly impacting Texas, and if that happens, chances of blackouts increase.

According to a report from the Dallas Morning News, Chris Coleman, ERCOT's lead meteorologist, said on Tuesday that there is an "elevated" chance of severe or extreme winter weather this winter despite warmer weather patterns that have been predicted for January and February.

Coleman's forecast came after a recent analysis from ERCOT that showed there is an 80% chance that the Texas power grid would see blackouts according to the Dallas Morning News. The blackouts that could happen would be on the same level as those experienced in February of 2021. That was the storm that knocked out power for days  for some in Texas and led to more than 200 people dying.

The Dallas Morning News also reported that the threat of power emergencies is up from previous years due to demand.

ERCOT leadership gave multiple winter weather presentations Tuesday, with CEO Pablo Vegas’ overview focused on the grid’s state as Texas heads into the coldest months of the year.

He said the threat of power emergencies is up slightly from last year because of power demand growth, likely driven by electricity-hungry data centers. That demand increase has been mitigated by large increases in the number of large-scale battery storage facilities built in Texas this year.

ERCOT officials have said that if a major winter storm were to trigger blackouts, they believe the effect would be less severe than it was in 2021.