Winter is Coming - Will the Power Stay on in Temple-Killeen, TX?

Our first big blast of winter weather arrives in Central Texas on Thursday, and with last year's disaster still fresh on our minds, folks in Temple and Killeen are hoping that ERCOT is ready. Good news: they say they are.

The Forecast

According to our weather partners at KWTX, rain will make its way into Central Texas late Wednesday, and temperatures start to drop into the 20's by early Thursday morning.

The low temps will cause the rain to freeze, creating freezing rain and sleet. KWTX says there's a 70% chance of wintery mix scheduled for Thursday, and the highs will only reach the mid 30's.

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That forecast sounds eerily familiar to the one we got almost a year ago when Winter Storm Uri slammed into Texas in February 2021.

Winter Storm Watch

Due to the freezing rain and sleet expected on Thursday, a Winter Storm Watch is in effect from 12am to 6pm on Thursday. Driving conditions will be poor, which may lead to school closures and delays.

We could also see poor road conditions on Friday mornings commute. AM temps on Friday will also be in the teens, and KWTX reports that wind chills will drop the temps even lower.

The Big Question

Will ERCOT be ready and keep the power on in Texas?

They say yes.

News 4 San Antonio reports that ERCOT expects demand to hit 71.4 gigawatts at 8am on Friday morning. ERCOT Interim CEO Brad Jones released the following statement to CBS Austin:

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is anticipating high demand for power Wednesday through Sunday due to a forecasted cold front. This cold front is expected to bring winter weather and precipitation to the ERCOT region. ERCOT is taking early preventative action ahead of the expected increase in demand to ensure the grid remains reliable.

ERCOT will deploy all the tools available to us to manage the grid effectively during this winter weather. We are coordinating closely with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Public Utility Commission and elected officials — as well as electric generators and transmission and distribution utilities — to keep Texans informed throughout the week. We have ordered power plants across the region to postpone planned outages and to return from outages already in progress.

All in all, it sounds like Central Texas homes will avoid outages and the power will stay on.

Plan Ahead

With wintery weather on the way, and the potential for poor travel conditions, lots of folks will be hitting the stores and stocking up on supplies for the weekend. Remember to get what you need but please save some for your neighbor.

Pictures From The Great Winter Texas Snowstorm of 2021

Where were you when Winter Storm Uri hit Texas the week of February 14th and 15th 2021?

The country was already dealing with the COVID crisis and then came another one.

According to weather.com, the storm produced damaging ice from the Northwest.

Texas Cities like Abilene and San Angelo had record snowfall. Beating records that were made back in the late 1800s.

In Austin a record 6.4 inches of snow was recorded at Austin - Bergstrom Airport, their heaviest snow in 72 years, since Jan. 30, 1949.

San Antonio had almost 3 inches of snow bringing them their heaviest snowfall since 1985, those nice people art Seaworld also saw 6 inches of snowfall.

Locally here in the Killeen- Temple area, streets, schools, and businesses were shut down and there were massive power outages. Not to mention a certain electric company going out of business due to the rates of customers skyrocketing!

It was a disaster!

But here we are a year later, we now have stories we can tell our grandkids about how the effects of Winer Storm Uri of 2021 had us all in a frenzy.

Here are some pictures that showcase the good and bad of the great Texas Snowstorm of 2021.

Here Are 8 Things To Do In Central Texas During The Winter Months

While we are in the beginning stages of winter 2022, some people may feel as if there aren't many activities to do while it's somewhat cold outside. You do know that there are tons of indoor places where you can have just as much fun as you would if it was 90 degrees outside, right?

But just where are they? I'll tell you: Right here in Central Texas!

Bet You Didn't Know: 10 Bizarre Texas Laws Still on the Books

Many states still have strange laws on the books that aren’t enforced or taken seriously anymore, and Texas is no exception.

Most of these laws are just funny now, but at one time, there was a valid (or at least somewhat valid) reason for them to exist.

Texas has plenty of strange rules and regulations that you could technically be prosecuted for if you violate them, since they've never been amended. Some of these are only for specific cities and not state-wide, but all of them are pretty odd!

Let's take a look at 10 of the weirdest ones in the Lone Star State.