For the second straight year, an ice and sleet blizzard appears to be straining Texas’ power grid as more than 40 million people have been warned to prepare for ice and wind showers.
According to PowerOutage.us, at least 260,000 customers in the state are already without power, and the number is expected to increase.
Bands of sleet and snow that halted traffic in the middle of the country, canceled thousands of flights and blamed for six deaths, created dangerous conditions in several southern states on the third Wednesday day.
In Austin, video showed transformer explosions overnight, leaving 120,000 Austin Energy customers without power as of Wednesday morning.
Members of the Carnales Off Road Jeep Club pull a semi truck up an ice-covered hill on westbound I-20 near Loop 408 in Dallas on Tuesday
Emergency responders rushed to hundreds of car crashes across Texas on Tuesday, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott urged people not to drive.
Airlines canceled more than 1,800 flights in the United States on Wednesday after an ice storm hit states from Texas to West Virginia.
A total of 1,897 flights within, to or from the United States were canceled as of 8:41 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, while 750 flights were delayed.
“This week’s winter storm is impacting our operations and is responsible for a significant number of cancellations,” American Airlines Group Inc said in a statement, adding that flights have been proactively canceled and passengers notified.
The Federal Aviation Administration warned in a tweet Tuesday that travelers in certain areas, including Dallas, Fort Worth and Memphis, could expect some snow conditions that could delay certain flights.
“The ongoing winter storm will continue to have dangerous impacts on north and central Texas through at least early Thursday morning,” the US National Weather Service said in its forecast discussion for the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based American led the cancellations with nearly 800 flights, while low-cost airline Southwest Airlines Co followed with the cancellation of 501 flights.
In Austin, video showed transformer explosions overnight, leaving 120,000 Austin Energy customers without power as of Wednesday morning
More than 40 million people from Texas and Oklahoma to Kentucky and West Virginia have been warned of ice and wind chills of 50 degrees below zero
A vehicle rests on a barricade when the driver lost control and skidded off Highway 6 in Waco, Texas
Freezing rain was forecast by the National Weather Service, affecting a number of states from Texas to West Virginia
“The power grid itself is working very effectively as we speak,” Abbott said Tuesday
The latest cancellations come nearly a month after Southwest faced a backlash from the US government for canceling 16,700 flights over the holiday as bad weather overwhelmed its crew scheduling system.
The Dallas Independent School District, which has about 145,000 students, also canceled classes on Wednesday.
At least six people have died on slippery Texas roads since Monday, including a triple crash Tuesday near Brownfield, about 40 miles southwest of Lubbock, and two state law enforcement officers were seriously injured, authorities said.
In Arkansas, Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency Tuesday due to freezing conditions. Her statement cited the “likelihood of numerous power line downs” and said road conditions had led to a backlog of deliveries by commercial drivers.
On Monday night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he had allocated state funds to help Texans navigate the extreme conditions.
An icy mix covers the High Five Interchange at US 75 and I-635 Tuesday
Bystanders and Dallas Fire Rescue personnel push a vehicle as an icy mix blankets the High Five Interchange at US 75 and I-635
A man walks a dog at Lake Cliff Park on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 in Dallas
Claire Laviolette, left, 19, Jojo Kisser, center, 8, and Jaycee Kisser, 8, catch some air while sledding down Flag Pole Hill in Dallas
Drivers slowly navigate icy road conditions on the LBJ 635 Freeway
“The state of Texas is working tirelessly to ensure Texans and their communities have the resources, assistance and support needed to respond to the effects of winter weather across the state,” Abbott said.
The Weather Service said the ice would cause “treacherous” travel conditions, as well as tree damage and power outages in the hardest-hit regions.
In February 2021, Texas experienced a violent winter storm that caused a blackout and widespread power outages. Months later, the state announced that the official death toll from the storm was at least 246. Causes of death ranged from carbon monoxide poisoning to hypothermia.
However, Abbott said Tuesday that despite these outages, the Texas power grid is operating as designed in 2021 and no problems are expected.
“The power grid itself is working very effectively right now,” Abbott said. “And the power grid in the state of Texas is not expected to be challenged.”
Watches and warnings stretched from Texas to West Virginia. Multiple bouts of mixed precipitation, including freezing rain and sleet, were forecast for many areas throughout the day, meaning some regions could be hit multiple times, forecasters said.