Steve Tasker 8,221 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 1 hour ago, MAC_32 said: Really? I've never bothered to look at any data, but I'd have thought most of us have AC. We have the infrastructure, but we ##### about the heat because we choose to live here to avoid it. We don't have A/C, the upstairs of my house is basically a sauna from like early July through Labor Day. We keep pretty much every window open (so long as someone's home) from like May through September, and usually have two box fans going in the bedroom at night in the summer. My house was built in 1916. Anyway, back to the topic at hand - this #### looks scary in Texas. It's a legit snowstorm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joffer 12,478 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 10 minutes ago, FBG26 said: Dumb question - Is the demand for electricity the biggest issue when it gets absurdly cold in southern states? Not trying to minimize anything, just thinking back to my comment about chuckling about the reaction to super cold weather by people living in the southern US. When I made that comment I was thinking about people driving on icy roads or just generally not having the proper attire for such conditions -- things that we're generally more prepared for here and which can probably be avoided simply by staying inside. But I didn't appreciate how the cold would cause such a huge surge in electricity use, and people wouldn't be able to heat their homes / businesses. So I'm just wondering if that's really the biggest safety issue or if there are other things that I wouldn't think about. if it’s just in the 30s, the grid can generally handle it, and transportation is generally the biggest problem. the grid can’t handle these temperatures for extended periods. here’s some more detail. natural gas is the primary source in the winter, and its massively overloaded right now. https://twitter.com/jessejenkins/status/1361348544154664961?s=21 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ffweasel 329 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 (edited) Saw this snippet on FB and be prepared to not have power for awhile. Ugh. Power Outage Info Edited February 15 by ffweasel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChiefD 19,689 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 (edited) Man, I feel for all you guys in the south. I remember about 20 years ago here in KC, we had a huge ice storm. We had two inches of pure ice. Took down so many power lines, limbs, transformers, etc. It was wild - imagine literally every tree in your neighborhood having limbs down, large limbs hanging down, whatever. We would go outside and look around and you would see blue flashes in the sky - transformers going out every ten minutes. Cars couldn't drive down the streets because there were so many limbs down. I was out of power for a week - others were out for two weeks - it was nuts. Luckily we had a wood burning fireplace and a gas stove and gas water heater - we survived ok but it was tough And we are a city normally prepared for stuff like this, but we had electrical crews coming in from all over the states. Those guys were heroes for those two weeks. Hope you guys can pull through this ok. Edited February 15 by ChiefD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uruk-Hai 7,621 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Damn. Stay safe guys. If you still have power and aren't on city water, might want to think about filling tubs/sinks up with water before you lose it. At least you'll be able to flush your toilets and have boilable water. I imagine the sales of whole-home generators are going to rise after this is over. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Skerritt 2,328 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Also read that many of the wind turbines are frozen. And the sun has not been out for almost a week, and therefore any solar charges are depleted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caustic 4,090 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Temporary blackouts starting in KS soon—hopefully they remain temporary. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChiefD 19,689 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 5 minutes ago, caustic said: Temporary blackouts starting in KS soon—hopefully they remain temporary. Thanks for the heads up. Hadn't heard this yet here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caustic 4,090 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 6 minutes ago, ChiefD said: Thanks for the heads up. Hadn't heard this yet here. I've been following this guy on twitter, seems to be a good source for KS utilities news: https://twitter.com/briangrimmett/status/1361387812818477061 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WDIK2 1,022 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Lost power in northeast Nebraska for about an hour. Not sure of the cause. My house temp only dropped 1 degree. Lincoln Nebraska talking about rolling blackouts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
whoknew 8,968 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I must not understand how energy works. Here's what Austin Energy said - BREAKING: Austin Energy says there is no more energy that they can turn off at this time. That means that the conservation is having to come from people who do not have power, and those who do, must urgently conserve. -- But there are people with power right now. And a bunch without. So why not shut everyone off first (not counting hospitals, etc) then turn on the people who have been off since 2am? And then after a few hours for them, turn them off, then turn the current ones back on. And keep going until we are done. What don't I understand? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
whoknew 8,968 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Follow up - Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent: "This event happened quickly, and the amount of load that we needed to remove from the grid was significant. It was in a very short time that we maxed out on all of the available circuits that we had to disconnect ..." "So because we're at at max limit, there's no more energy that we can shut off at this time to bring these customers back on." "Basically we're stuck here. ... It's a tough situation, and we understand that," Sargent said. "We're doing everything we can to get people to a place where we get people's power back on." 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Swanson 3,085 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 This thing in TX is serious, folks. And I'm not sure there's much any of us can do to immediately help. I've never seen a time when all TX major metros were effectively shut down due to weather with widespread power outages. Unless my group is an outlier, power is uncommon in all areas right now and it's cold enough to be dangerous in all three major metros. And add onto that travel is ill-advised and roads are iced over. Diesel trucks are gelling up. I don't want to be hyperbolic but this is scary. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kodycutter 963 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 god bless anyone stuck in this. extended family in Oklahoma without power. I'm a northerner by birth but am in fla now. it reminds me of hurricane sandy when my mom told me she had all 3 dogs, boxers, in the bed and covered with multiple blankets. I said "three dog night, huh" she laughed and got through it. you will all get through it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
snogger 2,979 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 We hit -28f this morning.. Wind chill was around -50.. Working from home sure does have its benefits 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joffer 12,478 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 interesting thread about why gas turbine plants are struggling https://twitter.com/marktomasovic/status/1361309953097691138?s=21 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joffer 12,478 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 16 minutes ago, whoknew said: I must not understand how energy works. Here's what Austin Energy said - BREAKING: Austin Energy says there is no more energy that they can turn off at this time. That means that the conservation is having to come from people who do not have power, and those who do, must urgently conserve. -- But there are people with power right now. And a bunch without. So why not shut everyone off first (not counting hospitals, etc) then turn on the people who have been off since 2am? And then after a few hours for them, turn them off, then turn the current ones back on. And keep going until we are done. What don't I understand? don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve read some indications that everything left to turn off is also connected to critical services (hospitals, emergency centers, etc.). I don’t know how granular they can get with regard to the grid, but i suppose it’s possible. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
whoknew 8,968 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 2 minutes ago, joffer said: don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve read some indications that everything left to turn off is also connected to critical services (hospitals, emergency centers, etc.). I don’t know how granular they can get with regard to the grid, but i suppose it’s possible. I see. Thank you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
whoknew 8,968 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 On a bigger picture, what does it say about our infrastructure that we have one winter storm and basically the entire State of Texas's electrical grid crashes? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bossman 1,877 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 So much for "Global Warming".... and, living all of my life in the Northeast ... suck it up Buttercup also comes to mind Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joffer 12,478 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 4 minutes ago, whoknew said: On a bigger picture, what does it say about our infrastructure that we have one winter storm and basically the entire State of Texas's electrical grid crashes? nothing good Quote Link to post Share on other sites
whoknew 8,968 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 4 minutes ago, Bossman said: So much for "Global Warming".... and, living all of my life in the Northeast ... suck it up Buttercup also comes to mind Seems like kind of a #### thing to say when its 10 degrees and there are millions of people without electricity. 12 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Phil Elliott 1,139 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 (edited) We are in northwest Austin and had 5.5" of snow and down to 7 degrees this morning. We have kept our power so far. Worried the pool pipes will freeze up if we lose power as I don't think it is going to come back on any time soon. We don't have a generator. But many people have critical needs for power. The rolling brownouts would make this all more manageable. They started talking about the weather models over two weeks ago about the low single digit temperature possibilities, but no one, including me, believed the models. It was over 30 years ago that this happened last time and with the explosive growth of population in Central Texas since then, they had some time to plan. Easy for hindsight to be 2020. I guess they have a new standard for extreme power load situations now. Schools were closed today for President's day so everyone is at home and no where to go due to the roads. ERCOT said wind turbines out in western Texas froze up so capacity was decreased also from that. "ETA: natural gas and coal production significantly reduced also due to transportation delivery issues". The communications of the rolling brownouts is conflicting...was suppose to be 10-45 minute outages every 2-3 hours. But since this am, they are saying Austin Energy cannot do the rolling outages. They started implementing the brownouts last night around 1-2 am. You could see the outages pop up on the Austin Energy Power Outage Map. Basically most people that don't have power aren't getting it back until more conservation happens or the weather starts moderating late tomorrow. Edited February 15 by Phil Elliott Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joffer 12,478 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 7 minutes ago, Bossman said: So much for "Global Warming".... and, living all of my life in the Northeast ... suck it up Buttercup also comes to mind https://twitter.com/kevpluck/status/1361296109025468419?s=20 here's the global temp anomaly for today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Phil Elliott 1,139 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Phil Elliott said: duplicate post. Edited February 15 by Phil Elliott Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DocHolliday 4,191 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 14 minutes ago, joffer said: don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve read some indications that everything left to turn off is also connected to critical services (hospitals, emergency centers, etc.). I don’t know how granular they can get with regard to the grid, but i suppose it’s possible. This sounds like it’s going to rough going for many, many Texans. Hope tgis doesn’t last too long. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Dufresne 12,854 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I can't imagine it being that cold and not having heat in the house. I feel for you, folks. I REALLY feel for this person! 3 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boulder Toads 39 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 it's been 12+hrs now with no power ... wife is a trooper and we've been crushing the hot tea today ... pretty dang cold inside, getting some sunshine now but another night in the teens is looming 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SoBeDad 2,331 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 What are the in the house temperatures like? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SHIZNITTTT 3,347 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 PSO to start rolling blackouts today. Lasting 2 hours at a time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coopersdad 21 Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 4 minutes ago, SoBeDad said: What are the in the house temperatures like? We've been w/o since around 1130 (we had it set at 64 then). Have the gas fireplace running and all other rooms shut off except for sun room which has blinds. Thermostat shows 52. Boys took Jeep out to go tubing. Way to cold for me to join them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joffer 12,478 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 https://www.kxan.com/news/local/unprecedented-shortfall-power-outages-could-last-through-tuesday/?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow latest from the local NBC affiliate in Austin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Swanson 3,085 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 41 minutes ago, SoBeDad said: What are the in the house temperatures like? Depends on a lot of factors. Worst I've heard is mid to high 30's at a house where power went out this morning and it sits on essentially a prairie. 40-55 seems to be about the norm. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MAC_32 12,804 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 45 minutes ago, whoknew said: Seems like kind of a #### thing to say when its 10 degrees and there are millions of people without electricity. It is. It's ignorance too. More impactful weather has been happening in recent years, on both extremes, and while it'd take a scientist to explain why there will always be lowbrows that believe they know better. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dinsy Ejotuz 13,292 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 1 hour ago, whoknew said: On a bigger picture, what does it say about our infrastructure that we have one winter storm and basically the entire State of Texas's electrical grid crashes? I had no idea about this before today, but there are three grids in the US: Eastern, Western and Texas. The state has its own grid. 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DocHolliday 4,191 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 1 minute ago, Dinsy Ejotuz said: I had no idea about this before today, but there are three grids in the US: Eastern, Western and Texas. The state has its own grid. I think we need a bigger grid 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kodycutter 963 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 6 minutes ago, Dinsy Ejotuz said: I had no idea about this before today, but there are three grids in the US: Eastern, Western and Texas. The state has its own grid. had no idea until you posted this. thank you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kal El 3,936 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I have a sister in law outside Dallas, her and her family are doing okay, lost power for a bit yesterday, but it’s supposedly hit or miss. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cosjobs 15,364 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 2 hours ago, Phil Elliott said: We are in northwest Austin and had 5.5" of snow and down to 7 degrees this morning. We have kept our power so far. Worried the pool pipes will freeze up if we lose power as I don't think it is going to come back on any time soon. We don't have a generator. But many people have critical needs for power. The rolling brownouts would make this all more manageable. They started talking about the weather models over two weeks ago about the low single digit temperature possibilities, but no one, including me, believed the models. It was over 30 years ago that this happened last time and with the explosive growth of population in Central Texas since then, they had some time to plan. Easy for hindsight to be 2020. I guess they have a new standard for extreme power load situations now. Schools were closed today for President's day so everyone is at home and no where to go due to the roads. ERCOT said wind turbines out in western Texas froze up so capacity was decreased also from that. "ETA: natural gas and coal production significantly reduced also due to transportation delivery issues". The communications of the rolling brownouts is conflicting...was suppose to be 10-45 minute outages every 2-3 hours. But since this am, they are saying Austin Energy cannot do the rolling outages. They started implementing the brownouts last night around 1-2 am. You could see the outages pop up on the Austin Energy Power Outage Map. Basically most people that don't have power aren't getting it back until more conservation happens or the weather starts moderating late tomorrow. I thought you were on the lake? NW Austin has probably been the worst power shortages in the city, unless you get up toward Cedar Park Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joffer 12,478 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 2 hours ago, joffer said: don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve read some indications that everything left to turn off is also connected to critical services (hospitals, emergency centers, etc.). I don’t know how granular they can get with regard to the grid, but i suppose it’s possible. https://twitter.com/mattlargey/status/1361392939436564482?s=21 @whoknew 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DallasDMac 2,936 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Currently sitting in a hotel. They've supposedly had about 5 blackouts since 5 pm yesterday lasting about 30 min each. Figure that's better than electricity just plain being out. Will stay today and maybe tomorrow depending how this pans out. I have to admit, if anyone had told me a year ago what we'd have gone through the past 12 months, I would have thought they were FOS. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ffweasel 329 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 14 hours off and it just came back! 🎉 We’ll still do our part to conserve, but very excited. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cosjobs 15,364 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 If any Austin FBGs are in trouble, pm me and I may be able to help. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-OZ- 8,330 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Reading this thread while expecting the #### to come this way tonight and tomorrow. School is already cancelled. Now I'm just concerned about the pipes. (We do have the foam covers but I'm not entirely confident in those). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Soulfly3 4,441 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I'll just toss this out there... Mind your car battery! Id imagine a 3-4yr old battery may not wanna crank back up after a surge of cold that it ain't used to. Especially over a few days sitting there. Im fully used to (and currently dealing with) 1ft+ of snow and -20 or lower temps... im the guy that still takes his car for a 5-10min drive daily just to get the battery/alternator moving 2 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cosjobs 15,364 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 48 minutes ago, Soulfly3 said: I'll just toss this out there... Mind your car battery! Id imagine a 3-4yr old battery may not wanna crank back up after a surge of cold that it ain't used to. Especially over a few days sitting there. Im fully used to (and currently dealing with) 1ft+ of snow and -20 or lower temps... im the guy that still takes his car for a 5-10min drive daily just to get the battery/alternator moving You inspired me to go outside and warm up my car and truck. Drove the car around the culdesac, but did not even try and move the truck even tho its all-wheel drive. I ran them both until solidly above Cold on the temp gauge, about 15 minutes. I even cleared lot of show off the glass. Sucked.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rascal 1,737 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 4 hours ago, whoknew said: On a bigger picture, what does it say about our infrastructure that we have one winter storm and basically the entire State of Texas's electrical grid crashes? It's not just texas. And people have been screaming for years that our power systems needed to be improved upon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Skerritt 2,328 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 4 hours ago, whoknew said: On a bigger picture, what does it say about our infrastructure that we have one winter storm and basically the entire State of Texas's electrical grid crashes? I’ll bet that the executive pay structure is not in danger of crashing. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JaxBill 6,965 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 @MattOswaltVA: meteorologists call this weather pattern "7-Eleven Microwave Burrito" https://twitter.com/MattOswaltVA/status/1361442090979262465/photo/1 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Judge Smails 3,889 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 My TX colleagues are sending pictures of candles everywhere along with a bottle of wine to stay warm. Stay safe all 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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