And local governments historically have not prepared for winter weather - in large part due to the costs. Much of Texas’ infrastructure was not built to sustain such extreme cold weather. Power outages swept across the region as a result of damage to power lines from ice and fallen tree limbs. “I’m sorry for how long this is taking,” Austin Energy general manager Jackie Sargent said at a press conference.Ī technician from the Pedernales Electric Cooperative arrives to check on a power line in Northwest Austin on Feb. This becomes a larger issue when it comes to live oaks and evergreen trees that keep their leaves throughout the winter, collecting more ice than trees that shed their leaves in the fall.Īustin officials said the sheer number of downed trees, power lines and electricity poles - and the complicated task of making repairs - obstructed efforts to quickly restore power for tens of thousands. Ice can increase the weight of tree branches up to 30 times, according to Kerri Dunn, a communications manager for electricity provider Oncor. Half an inch of ice on trees can mean the difference between limbs staying up or falling and taking power lines down with them. “We got the crews here as fast as we could.” We do prepare for you guys and we did the best that we could on this one,” Richards said. “I just want customers to know we didn’t get blindsided. The weather forecast called for a quarter-inch of ice but as conditions worsened three-quarters of an inch accumulated. 2, Elton Richards, Austin Energy’s vice president of field operations, said that although crews were on call on the morning of Feb.1, the storm was worse than expected. 1 after an ice storm.Īt a news conference on Feb. With roughly a quarter of Texans still without power, the managers of the state's electrical grid Wednesday declined to say exactly when electricity would be fully restored, saying that the main factor in coming days will be the weather.Icicles hang from telephone poles and power lines in North Austin on Feb. By daybreak, precipitation would become light snow throughout the Interstate 35 corridor and could persist into the afternoon.įull story: Winter storm warning for Austin ends Thursday, sustained thaw possible Saturday, forecasters say ERCOT leaders still cannot say when power will be restored to more than a quarter of Texans without The actual timing of the precipitation could change, but forecasters expect a wintry mix of rain and sleet to arrive in the Hill Country and the Austin metro area during the wee hours of Thursday. Winter storm warning for Austin ends Thursday, sustained thaw possible Saturday, forecasters sayĪ once-in-a-generation freeze that has gripped Central Texas could begin retreating Friday, with temperatures starting to thaw out starting Saturday.īut a final delivery of light snow will hit the region early Thursday, the National Weather Service warned Wednesday. Officials said people who lack transportation to a shelter can call 311, but added that resources are limited and that priority is being given to those with medical conditions. Multiple cold shelters and warming centers have been made available. The Texas Department of Transportation said precipitation overnight could freeze roads and warned people to avoid driving if possible, adding that conditions could remain dangerous Thursday morning.Īustin Energy on Wednesday restored power to about 16 circuits, and more than 70% of customers had power around 5:30 p.m., but officials said more outages are possible and may last until Thursday or longer. The front bringing in the precipitation is coming from the west and is expected to bring about an inch of snow to the Austin area. Winter storm warning canceled, wintry precipitation still expected tonightĪustin is no longer under a winter storm warning, according to National Weather Service meteorologists.īut National Weather Service meteorologists said some precipitation is expected Wednesday night before changing into snow on Thursday.
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