What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

It's Freezing in Texas, please shut the freezer door up north...... (2 Viewers)

cosjobs said:
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
Click to expand...
Yes,you are correct, more west than northwest. Near Lake Travis but not on it (in UTGC).  The first home we were in when we first moved to Austin was in Canyon Mesa off Spicewood Springs Rd (not too far from you) and locals always referred to it as "north". That area has been out of power for a couple days before the ERCOT outages started last night. We have had to go grab a hotel a couple times while living there due to storm power outages lasting several days.  I think of The Domain over to 35 as North Austin and Great Hills up to Cedar Park as Northwest". 

 
Escaped to MIL house. They seem connected to the good grid.  My house has had about 100 min of power in last 24 hrs. The long term damage is TBD. 

 
My fire place was keeping up, but now the temperature in our house is starting to drop.

My wife does not want both of us to sleep at once, she is concerned about carbon monoxide even though we have a battery powered alarm right beside the fireplace. I have to stay awake another three and a half hours tonight.

It is going to be a long night.

 
I feel like I'm a world where I can monitor whether my garage door is open or not should have a power grid capable of surviving 10F temps.  Just saying. 

 
MTskibum said:
My fire place was keeping up, but now the temperature in our house is starting to drop.

My wife does not want both of us to sleep at once, she is concerned about carbon monoxide even though we have a battery powered alarm right beside the fireplace. I have to stay awake another three and a half hours tonight.

It is going to be a long night.
Click to expand...
Risk of CO from a fireplace is near zero.  The problem with wood fires if they go out they add cold air into your room.  

 
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?
Click to expand...
Apparently one contributing factor is that 25% or so of all power on Texas comes from alternative energy (or maybe specifically wind power) and most of the wind turbines are frozen and inoperable. 

I don't have facts/specifics on that. Just heard it in passing.

 
Andy Dufresne said:
Apparently one contributing factor is that 25% or so of all power on Texas comes from alternative energy (or maybe specifically wind power) and most of the wind turbines are frozen and inoperable. 

I don't have facts/specifics on that. Just heard it in passing.
Click to expand...
holy ####balls no

 
culdeus said:
Oh.  Well I mean a co detector will do you a solid.  Is it a battery one?   
Click to expand...
Yes, two of them,  one on each side of the fireplace.

Plus we have a vented fireplace. 

Although we have never had a chimney sweep since we have lived here and I would be surprised if one was ever done.

I am debating about going to bed.

 
Link

Texas electric grid operator says frozen wind turbines are hampering state's power output: report

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) told the Austin American Statesman that roughly 12,000 megawatts of Texas' wind generation capacity had been hampered as of Sunday due to frozen wind turbines. However, they also noted that unfrozen wind turbines are spinning at a higher rate than expected, helping to offset the losses.
Click to expand...
So maybe not, depending on what "helping" means.

Reuters reported that wind generation ranks as the second-largest source of energy in Texas, accounting for 23% of state power supplies last year
Click to expand...
I'm amazed it's that high.

Reading the whole article, it looks like all methods are struggling to produce enough. So... :shrug:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Been a long day. Going on 22 hours without  power and we lost the internet and cable so our generator is being wasted on heat. I felt like I needed a margarita, but forgot that even though there's still ice in the ice maker the thing that sends it down the shoot is electrical so I can't get any ice. I could, but I'd have to take apart the back of the ice maker in the door and I'm not doing that. Not tonight. So anyway I made up a margarita and decided I would just use snow instead of ice, because I didn't feel like chipping chunks out of the pool. When I tried to stir it up it wouldn't really work I couldn't drink it but I noticed if I stirred all the way, I ended up with a perfect frozen margarita. The texture was beautiful and while probably not the ideal drink for a ice storm apocalypse, I rather enjoyed it. so if any of you have a bunch of powdered snow stacked up around your house, you're halfway to a perfect frozen margarita. Good night and good luck all.

 
cosjobs said:
Been a long day. Going on 22 hours without  power and we lost the internet and cable so our generator is being wasted on heat. I felt like I needed a margarita, but forgot that even though there's still ice in the ice maker the thing that sends it down the shoot is electrical so I can't get any ice. I could, but I'd have to take apart the back of the ice maker in the door and I'm not doing that. Not tonight. So anyway I made up a margarita and decided I would just use snow instead of ice, because I didn't feel like chipping chunks out of the pool. When I tried to stir it up it wouldn't really work I couldn't drink it but I noticed if I stirred all the way, I ended up with a perfect frozen margarita. The texture was beautiful and while probably not the ideal drink for a ice storm apocalypse, I rather enjoyed it. so if any of you have a bunch of powdered snow stacked up around your house, you're halfway to a perfect frozen margarita. Good night and good luck all.
Click to expand...
love it.  to hell with the giant artisan cube ice.

 
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?
Click to expand...
I had to comment on this one.  This is not just "one winter storm".  This is THE winter storm.  We've never had one cover the entire state before.  Nor have we had temps like this since records have been kept (the last 150 or so years).  Normally, parts not too affected would support the other parts.  But it's not the temps so much as the fact that the entire state got snow and ice.  That's just never happened before.  

Stay toasty out there.

 
joffer said:
I give up.  I absolutely give up.  30GW down, wind is 10% of that.
Click to expand...
Yeah, and according to this article, wind is actually generating more than what they typically expect for this time of year. It’s the other sources generating less than expected that is creating the supply problem.

That and the fact that Texas can’t get electricity from neighboring states because they have their own grid is what is creating the supply issue. Going to be interesting to hear why the supply of nuclear and coal power has fallen and can’t keep up. Natural gas being diverted for heating makes some sense why NG power would fall, but I’m not sure why coal and nuclear power is dropping.

 
In more ridiculous news, we are going to get more ice/snow/mix today.  Whee!  And Sunday's high here is predicted to be 70F.

Roseanne Roseannadanna was right- it's always something.

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
In more ridiculous news, we are going to get more ice/snow/mix today.  Whee!  And Sunday's high here is predicted to be 70F.

Roseanne Roseannadanna was right- it's always something.
Click to expand...
Ugh, stay safe Texas. Dress in layers for warmth and wrap exposed pipes that may freeze with blankets if you can.

 
Thought about you guys today while I was clearing the driveway. Woke up to a foot of snow. Cleared a path so my wife didn't have to walk through it and half ### cleared the driveway. No plows had gone down our street yet but that is expected. They don't hit the secondary streets until much later after a storm. Drove a little over 20 miles into work. Highway was actually pretty clear. Was able to do 60 most of the way. Only saw one accident and one unfortunate person who had slid off into the median overnight. 

Much more appreciative of the work the crews due around here and the infrastructure we have in place for the winter after seeing what you guys are going through. Not criticizing Texas in any way, I understand why they don't have the stuff in place to handle this. It just doesn't happen. Hope you guys get your power going again ASAP. You can handle bad roads by staying home. But being without power when it is cold as hell is horrible. 

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
In more ridiculous news, we are going to get more ice/snow/mix today.  Whee!  And Sunday's high here is predicted to be 70F.
Click to expand...
Just looked at forecast and noticed the wonderful news of more slush coming late tonight. Ugh. Can’t wait for the weekend!

 
cosjobs said:
30 hours without power now on this stretch and no internet since midnight.
Click to expand...
Where are you? I’m in the Shady Hollow/Circle C area of Austin and was without for 14 hours. I’ve seen other areas usually around 10 hours or so. Further north I believe it’s been worse. 

 
Major said:
Glad to hear this.  I've been fortunate to have power this entire time in Houston (Montrose area).   Now just dealing with some frozen pipes.  
Click to expand...
Daughter lives nearby by Oxy office and also has power still. Lakewood church turned into a shelter so not turning power off there. You may be on same circuit. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
cosjobs said:
On the bright side of all this, there should not be nearly so many mosquitoes next year.
Click to expand...
Worst mosquitoes I've ever experienced was in the summer in east of Calgary for my son's summer baseball team...........things were the size of small birds.

 
So some of Florida’s effects of this system were felt here this morning as a pretty impressive thunderstorm, even had lightning slam a tree across the street from my work before sunrise. Hoping everyone is staying safe over there.

 
So I went and got Grandma and a niece and nephew last night.  Grandma w/o power since 2am Monday and house was in the 40's when I got there.  Sister's house lost power at 8am yesterday and was in the 50's.  I took them most of my firewood.  Drove the county road to get up there and it was not that bad.  Took the toll road back, and it was a pain in the ###. Woke up this morning and one of my sons had made yellow snow off the back patio and spelled his name.  I said "you missed the good joke.......should have spelled "Grandma".  

Northern Fort Worth has to boil their water (if it is working), as the treatment plant lost power as well as emergency power.  

Energy / Grid company (ERCOT) still has no answers.  

My boss and many FB friends have not lost power at all.

We are supposed to get 1/2 inch of ice tonight followed by 2-3 inches of snow. 

I'm guessing that baseball scrimmage on Friday is off.

But yes, it is supposed to be 65 on Sunday and low 70's on Monday / Tuesday.

 
Woke up to no power this morning (eastern KS). The indoor temp is 15 degrees lower than where I set the thermostat, so I’m guessing it’s been out for a few hours now. Seems like today’s blackouts are significantly worse than yesterday’s.

 
coopersdad said:
So I went and got Grandma and a niece and nephew last night.  Grandma w/o power since 2am Monday and house was in the 40's when I got there.  Sister's house lost power at 8am yesterday and was in the 50's.  I took them most of my firewood.  Drove the county road to get up there and it was not that bad.  Took the toll road back, and it was a pain in the ###. Woke up this morning and one of my sons had made yellow snow off the back patio and spelled his name.  I said "you missed the good joke.......should have spelled "Grandma".  

Northern Fort Worth has to boil their water (if it is working), as the treatment plant lost power as well as emergency power.  

Energy / Grid company (ERCOT) still has no answers.  

My boss and many FB friends have not lost power at all.

We are supposed to get 1/2 inch of ice tonight followed by 2-3 inches of snow. 

I'm guessing that baseball scrimmage on Friday is off.

But yes, it is supposed to be 65 on Sunday and low 70's on Monday / Tuesday.
Click to expand...
I mean the answer from ercot is pretty simple.  They have X power and we need Y power so they give X.  

 
culdeus said:
I mean the answer from ercot is pretty simple.  They have X power and we need Y power so they give X.  
Click to expand...
Understand the math, and actually learned a bit about power grid yesterday.

What I mean is why it has not been more "rolling blackouts".  Many have been out for the duration, while I've been down for a very small period of time, while others have not lost power at all.   I'm sure it's not as easy as flipping a switch, but at some point in time they need to come out w/ an explanation that everyone can understand.  Lots of misinformation out there. 

 
coopersdad said:
Understand the math, and actually learned a bit about power grid yesterday.

What I mean is why it has not been more "rolling blackouts".  Many have been out for the duration, while I've been down for a very small period of time, while others have not lost power at all.   I'm sure it's not as easy as flipping a switch, but at some point in time they need to come out w/ an explanation that everyone can understand.  Lots of misinformation out there. 
Click to expand...
I mean the rolling blackout plan went to #### early because there wasn't even enough power to roll blackouts.  They were not super transparent on that from the perspective of users, but they did fan that information out to cities and first responder networks.

Some areas of the grid that were "essential" effectively had to be left on or put something critical at risk.  I'm sure some of those ultimately will have bad optics.  Highland Park being on, as one.  Soutlake has been hammered, however.  

Anyone that followed the right people knew that if you had not seen 6 of the prior 24 with power you were likely to be dark all night Tues night and fled if possible.

 
With water problems starting to increase, you may want to fill your tubs up. If a water main breaks you could be out of running water for many days. Use the water in the tub to flush the toilet. Hopefully things get better in a few days.

 
coopersdad said:
Understand the math, and actually learned a bit about power grid yesterday.

What I mean is why it has not been more "rolling blackouts".  Many have been out for the duration, while I've been down for a very small period of time, while others have not lost power at all.   I'm sure it's not as easy as flipping a switch, but at some point in time they need to come out w/ an explanation that everyone can understand.  Lots of misinformation out there. 
Click to expand...
I’m fortunate to not have lost power.  I think it’s because I’m very close to a water pumping station and firehouse.

 
I signed up with Austin Energy to provide outage updates. All I get are text messages from the police and sheriff saying they are aware of "the outage" and don't report power outages to 912 unless it's a life threatening situation.  :(

 
encaitar said:
I live in ND where we get this #### for 4-5 months a year.  Mosquitoes are still nasty as hell in the summer.  Pretty sure they'd survive a nuclear winter.
Click to expand...
yea, I'm from Williston.  I know what you are talking about.  Was 30 below 0 in Bismarck this morning without the wind chill.

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
In more ridiculous news, we are going to get more ice/snow/mix today.  Whee!  And Sunday's high here is predicted to be 70F.

Roseanne Roseannadanna was right- it's always something.
Click to expand...
100 year hurricanes,  500 year hurricane (Harvey), 100 year pandemic, 70 year winter storm....the sun still somehow rises each morning.

 
Sometimes it takes exposing weaknesses to fix things. Hopefully we can start fixing  weaknesses in our infrastructure.  Also a reminder dispite all of our technology Mother Nature can ##### slap mankind with just a flick of the wrist. 

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

timschochet
The 100 Greatest Songs of 1982 #1. Little Red Corvette
16 17 18
Replies
880
Views
66K
Hastur
Hastur
timschochet
The 100 Greatest Songs of 1977 #1. Come Sail Away
12 13 14
Replies
674
Views
23K
John Maddens Lunchbox
John Maddens Lunchbox
plinko
Top 100 Heavy Metal and glam rock acts from the MTV era - it's still real to me
38 39 40
Replies
2K
Views
38K
plinko
plinko

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Top