Can’t Take the Heat: Texas Under Outage Warning for This Weekend

Remember when we were cranking up our heaters a few weeks ago? Well, you won't have to worry about gathering firewood any time soon in Central Texas.

Although our news partner KWTX is forecasting a cold front for Thursday, 'summer-style' heat will be on the table for this weekend, and Mother's Day will bring rising temperatures for Belton, Killeen, and Temple.

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Mother's Day Forecast

The first 100-degree temperatures of the year are expected in some areas of Texas by this Sunday, and officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have issued a power outage warning due to 'larger than normal' demands on the system.

Most of us will be flipping the switch on our air conditioning units by the end of this week. According to ERCOT, this could put a major strain on the power grid, causing concerns about potential blackouts.

Winter Storm Uri

The widespread blackouts from last February's winter storm resulted in mass property damage, with people losing power for days in Texas. Winter Storm Uri also caused over 200 confirmed deaths, many due to hypothermia, throughout the state.

A Central Texas road in February 2021.
Tamme Taylor, Townsquare Media

What Is ERCOT and How Does It Work?

ERCOT doesn't own assets or make electricity. It is an 'Independent System Operator', meaning it monitors the parts that keep electricity moving from the companies that produce the power into homes and businesses.

According to KXAS-TV, officials say that since last year's weather-related problems, steps have been taken to prevent future issues, like weatherizing power plants.

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.

The Most Dangerous City in Texas for 2022 May Surprise You

According to FBI statistics, Texas had 438 violent crimes and 2,562 property crimes per 100,000 residents as of this year. For every 100,000 residents, there are 224 police officers statewide.

Crime rates are expressed as the number of incidents per 100,000 people.

Here are the ten most dangerous cities in Texas for 2022, according to World Population Review.