Tag Archives: weather

CBS News reports: A punishing mid-June heat wave is set to scorch much of the Southwest and West this week, with Las Vegas potentially eclipsing its highest temperature on record, which stands at 117°F. The heat will build in a region that is experiencing a record drought, leading to dangerous fire weather conditions, high power demands, and causing water supplies …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Tuesday two bills meant to improve the state’s main power grid and change the governance of the agency that operates it. Calls for sweeping changes to Texas’ power infrastructure have amplified since February, when a catastrophic winter storm left more than 4.8 million homes and businesses without power for days. …

The Texas Tribune reports: An approximately $2.5 billion plan to bail out Texas’ distressed electricity market from the financial crisis caused by Winter Storm Uri in February was approved by the Texas House Thursday. The legislation would impose a fee — likely for the next decade or longer — on electricity companies, which would then get passed on to residential …

The Texas Tribune reports: A plan to help finance what will likely become mandatory power plant upgrades to withstand more extreme weather in the wake of the February power crisis received preliminary approval in the Texas House on Monday. The failure of power plants to produce power during very cold temperatures was a major cause of the February power outages …

The Houston Chronicle reports: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas will argue that it has governmental immunity that protects it from the at least 35 lawsuits that have been filed against the operator after February’s disastrous winter storm which killed dozens of people and created millions of dollars of damages. “ERCOT has and will continue to assert that it is …

USA Today reports: After the most ferocious hurricane season on record in 2020, top hurricane forecasters on Thursday said we should expect another active, above-normal season again this year. For the season, which begins June 1, meteorologist Phil Klotzbach and other experts from Colorado State University – among the nation’s top seasonal hurricane forecasters – predict 17 named tropical storms …

The Associated Press reports: Texas officials on Thursday raised the death toll from February’s winter storm and blackouts to at least 111 people — nearly doubling the state’s initial tally following one of the worst power outages in U.S. history. The majority of the deaths are associated with hypothermia, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The number …

The Texas Tribune reports: Several bills responding to Texas’ February power outages — including one mandating that power plants prepare facilities for extreme weather and another reforming the Electric Reliability Council of Texas board — were advanced by the Texas House State Affairs Committee on Thursday. None addressed the price ERCOT set for wholesale electricity prices during the storm and …

CBS News reports: Griddy Energy, the Texas electricity provider accused of charging customers thousands of dollars during Winter Storm Uri, said today it has filed for bankruptcy. Griddy was a “thriving business with more than 29,000 customers” before the winter storm struck, CEO Michael Fallquist said in a statement. The storm with record-low temperatures sparked a weeklong freeze and left …

NOAA reports: The average temperature across the contiguous U.S. last month was 30.6 degrees F, 3.2 degrees below the 20th-century average, making it the 19th-coldest February in the 127-year record. It was also the coldest February since 1989. Below-average temperatures dominated much of the nation from the Northwest to the Great Lakes and south to the Gulf of Mexico. For …

Reuters reports: Top directors of Texas’s electric grid operator, who faced sharp criticism from a massive failure of the state power system that left millions last week without light, heat, and water, resigned on Tuesday. The board’s chairman, vice chairman, two directors and a board nominee of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), all of whom live outside of …

The Texas Tribune reports: President Joe Biden plans visit Texas on Friday in the wake of extensive winter storm damage in the state. The president and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Houston, according to a White House announcement. Biden has engaged from afar with state and local officials but stated a reluctance to come to Texas too soon …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Texas power retailer Griddy is the target of a class action lawsuit filed in Houston state district court Monday alleging the company participated in price gouging after winter storm Uri cut power to millions across the state. The lawsuit was filed by a Chambers County resident Lisa Khoury whose electricity bill from the week of …

Houston’s ABC News affiliate reports: The city of Houston lifted its boil water notice Sunday, but tens of thousands across the region remain without water due to winter storm damage or pipeline restrictions. Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed the notice had been rescinded during a drive-thru water distribution event at Butler Stadium, where more than 18,000 units of water were handed …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday blasted the nonprofit operator of Texas’ energy grid for its handling of this week’s winter storm and called on the Legislature to consider updates to the state’s power plants to avoid future widespread power outages. “What happened is absolutely unacceptable and can never be replicated again,” Abbott said at a news …

The Associated Press reports: Power outages in Texas dropped below 1 million on Thursday morning for the first time in four days, but many people remained without electricity or safe drinking water after winter storms wreaked havoc on the state’s power grid and utilities. But Texas’ grid manager, under fire for its response to the winter storm, has warned that …

The Texas Tribune reports: As millions of Texans continue struggling through a dayslong winter storm without power or potable water, Gov. Greg Abbott provided few details Wednesday on when they can expect their situations to improve. As of Wednesday night, 2.7 million households didn’t have power. And nearly 12 million Texans are facing water disruptions after enduring multiple days of …

The Texas Tribune reports: As millions of Texans continue to struggle with power outages during a massive winter storm, Gov. Greg Abbott is scheduled to provide an update on the state’s response at 3:30 p.m. Central time Wednesday. There were 2.7 million Texas households still without power as of Wednesday morning, though the state’s electricity grid manager said utilities returned …

The Texas Tribune reports: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday he’s issuing a notice for residents to boil water as the winter storm continues to affect the city’s infrastructure. The notice, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, comes as the mayor also urged grocery stores to stock up on bottled water and urged Houstonians to conserve as much as possible. …

The Associated Press reports: Blame the polar vortex, a weather pattern that usually keeps to the arctic, but is increasingly visiting lower latitudes and staying beyond its welcome. Scientists say global warming caused by humans is partly responsible for making its southward escapes longer and more frequent. More than 100 million people live in areas covered Wednesday by some type …