Widespread power outages with several inches of snow in Texas and the US, Feb 2021

[imstilla.grandma]

Multiple winter storms are bringing snow, ice and dangerously cold temperatures to many parts of the country over the long holiday weekend.

More than 100 million Americans were under some sort of winter weather advisory on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

In its forecast, the weather service warned of a "myriad of winter weather hazards across the continental U.S." over the coming days, including heavy snowfall throughout the Pacific Northwest and icy weather and slick travel conditions in the mid-Atlantic.

Snow has already blanketed much of Oregon and Washington. Seattle picked up a foot or more.

A similar scenario occurred in Portland, where up to 10 inches of snow covered areas of the city. In addition to the snowfall amounts, three-quarters of an inch of ice accumulation and gusty winds caused widespread power outages across Oregon, according to the Weather Channel.

Utility companies have been working to restore power, but more than 260,000 customers were without power in northwest Oregon as of Saturday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

The winter weather also resulted in treacherous driving conditions as downed trees, power lines and ice forced many road closures across the state, the Oregon Department of Transportation said in a statement on Twitter.

As much as a foot of snow could fall in parts of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle through Sunday night, according to the NWS.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency, warning of near-blizzard conditions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and historic low temperatures. He said he would ask the White House to issue a federal emergency declaration for Texas.

The weather service said temperatures could dip to -30 degrees in some parts of the country, with "life-threatening wind chills" between -30 to -60 degrees in the north-central U.S.

Along the East Coast, heavy rainfalls and potential flash flooding were expected to impact parts of Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

Further north, forecasters warned of an icy wintry mix, with the worst impact to be felt in Virginia.

"Up to a half inch of ice is possible in these areas," the weather service said. "Downed tree limbs and power outages expected."

Like his counterpart in Texas, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam decided to declare a state of emergency ahead of the anticipated winter weather.

Nearly 300,000 customers have lost power across the state.

The winter weather has also disrupted air travel over this Presidents Day weekend. More than 1,600 flights have been canceled within, to and from the U.S. across Saturday and Sunday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.com.

Winter Storms Across The Country Bring Snow And Ice To Millions Of Americans


The White House on Sunday approved a Federal Emergency Declaration for Texas as parts of the state face several inches of snow and dangerously low temperatures that are forecast to drop into the single digits.

The declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide emergency measures for mass care and sheltering.

"I thank President Biden for quickly issuing a Federal Emergency Declaration for Texas as we continue to respond to severe winter weather throughout the state," Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said in a statement. "This disaster declaration provides Texas with additional resources and assistance that will help our communities respond to this winter weather.

The federal aid comes on the heels of a disaster declaration Abbott issued Friday for all 254 Texas counties.
White House Approves Emergency Declaration for Texas in Wake of Winter Storm

 

[CocoChanel]

Resurrecting this thread for the winter storm Feb. 2021.
Widespread power outages in TX with several inches of snow on the ground in Houston. Airports shut due to ice, and most businesses and school are closed at least until tomorrow, possibly Wednesday.
Tough stuff for an area not prepared for such low temperatures with precipitation.

Texas winter storm: Federal emergency declaration approved | khou.com

Customers without power now may not get it back until tomorrow or longer

Thundersnow in Texas: This is what people saw, heard as winter blast got noisy

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Metro Detroit weather: 6-to-8 inches of snow tonight (clickondetroit.com)

Total of 10 inches over two days possible in some areas

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Winter storm warning issued for SE Michigan overnight (detroitnews.com)

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for southeast Michigan and the rest of the state's lower half is under a winter weather advisory into Tuesday, with up to 12 inches of snow expected to cause difficult driving conditions.

A snowier-than-normal February in Michigan continues. A light dusting in the southern portion of the state that started early Monday will intensify through noon Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Cory Behnke.

The winter storm warning for the counties of St. Clair, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne, Lenawee and Monroe will be in effect from 6 p.m. Monday through noon Tuesday...

 

[MimosaMornings]

CenterPoint Energy's online outage tracker crashes as thousands of Houstonians wake to no power

Centerpoint’s phone number is out of service and the website is down.

Hurricanes and extreme heat - got it.
Generator - yes. It will run a port a cool/keep the freezer cold, etc.
Not a big unit to run a furnace.

10 degrees with a 30 mph wind with no heat or fireplace.

 

[CrimeAway]

Someone on social media recommended putting a tent up inside, if you have one. The idea being to keep warmth in that area to sleep/hang out in.

I've used a grill outside to cook on and heat soups etc. in previous winter outages.
I haven't tried this, but heating bricks if you have a few around? Bricks can hold heat energy for a while.

Good luck to all who are dealing with the power outages in Texas.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

OKLAHOMA:
Stitt signed an executive order Friday, saying that extreme freezing temperatures and severe winter weather, including snow, freezing rain and wind beginning Feb. 7 and continuing are expected to cause damage to public and private properties and utilities, including electric, gas and water systems in Oklahoma.

“The State of Oklahoma is prepared and ready to respond to this storm,” said Stitt. “I encourage all Oklahomans to pay attention to the weather, check on your neighbors and use the Drive Oklahoma app to monitor travel conditions throughout the weekend.”

Stitt said he declared a disaster emergency caused by severe winter weather in all 77 Oklahoma counties that threatens the public’s peace, health and safety.

The executive order states that the State Emergency Operations Plan has been activated.
OKLAHOMA SNOW WINTER STORM: Gov. Kevin Stitt declares winter weather State of Emergency for all 77 Oklahoma counties


Street outreach teams have been urging homeless individuals to seek shelter in the wake of winter storms that have brought freezing temperatures to the metro area.

The teams’ messaging seems to be working, said Dan Straughan, executive director of the Oklahoma City Homeless Alliance.

Monday, he said, outreach teams have been distributing flyers with a list of shelters and warming station locations. They were also sharing information about frostbite and hypothermia.

Straughan said, most of all, team members are telling people that the current winter storms are vastly different from storms many of the homeless may have experienced in the past.

“A lot of what they are saying is ‘Look, I know you've had winter weather before but not like this,’” he said.

Straughan said the teams’ efforts have been largely successful.

About 180 people stayed overnight Sunday at the new Willard Winter Shelter, a temporary emergency night shelter, he said. And the homeless alliance filled a local motel — 40 rooms — with mostly homeless families in one afternoon.

“The street outreach people don't give up. They know what they’re doing,” he said.
Teams work to help OKC's homeless find shelter from the cold

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency Saturday over severe weather that left parts of the state covered in ice and snow and led to power failures, transportation shutdowns and communication problems.

The state of emergency applies to Benton, Clackamas, Hood River, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Washington, and Yamhill Counties.

“The weather that set in yesterday and continued overnight has left extensive damage with hundreds of thousands of Oregonians without power,” Brown said in a statement.
Gov. Kate Brown declares extreme weather state of emergency in 9 Oregon counties

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A severe cold snap has turned the central and southern parts of the country into an extension of the Arctic, with dangerously low temperatures not seen in decades and a blast of snow and ice which has shut down population centers in multiple states.

The excessive cold has sent energy demand skyrocketing. In Texas, 2.8 million customers were without electricity as of 1:30 p.m. Eastern amid the punishing cold, according to poweroutage.us.

The mercury plummeted in the Lone Star State on Sunday night while it was blitzed by snow and ice, causing nearly impossible driving conditions and hundreds of vehicle accidents. Officials have urged residents not to travel, as social media videos proliferated of cars and trucks sliding down roads out of control.

Houston’s Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports were closed, while all flights out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport were also canceled Monday morning.

For the first time, the entire state of Texas was placed under a winter storm warning Sunday. These warnings for hazardous amounts of ice and snow expanded Monday to cover all of Arkansas and most of Louisiana, Mississippi, and western and northern Alabama, while extending northeast through much of the Tennessee and Ohio valleys, and interior Northeast.

In the next 36 hours, more snow, sleet and ice is likely to fall from Oklahoma to New Hampshire, with a foot and a half of snow possible in Little Rock, Ark. bbm
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/02/15/texas-oklahoma-record-cold/

 

[imstilla.grandma]

An "unprecedented" winter storm continued its assault on the nation Monday, leaving millions without power in Texas and wreaking travel havoc across a wide swath of the central and southern USA because of heavy snow and ice.

More than 150 million people were under a winter storm warning, winter weather advisory or ice storm warning in 25 states, stretching over 2,000 miles from southern Texas to northern Maine, the National Weather Service said.

Bitter, record-smashing cold accompanied the storm across the central USA. Hundreds of daily record low temperatures have been or will be broken during this prolonged "polar plunge," the weather service said, "with some February and even all-time low temperature records in jeopardy."

More than 50 million people could see temperatures dip below zero during the next several days, according to the Capital Weather Gang.

TEXAS:

Power outages were widespread Monday. In Texas alone, more than 3.4 million customers were in the dark as of 2 p.m. local time, according to poweroutage.us, a utility tracking site.

Rotating power outages were initiated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, Monday morning, meaning thousands went without electricity for short periods as temperatures fell into the teens near Dallas and Houston.

"We urge Texans to put safety first," the council tweeted as it urged residents to reduce electricity use. ERCOT manages the flow of electric power in the state.
Winter storm: Snow, ice hits 25 states; power outages in Texas; tornadoes

 

[CrimeAway]

Using bricks for heat. Please be very careful if you try this and use good oven mitts etc. Perhaps have a heat safe surface etc nearby.

How to Heat Bricks for Small Greenhouses

 

[imstilla.grandma]

OHIO:
A winter storm is expected to bring total snow accumulations between 8 and 12 inches through Tuesday and create “extremely hazardous” travel conditions—with some of the heaviest snow coming late this afternoon and tonight.

A Winter Storm Warning and a Winter Storm Watch are in effect until 1 p.m. Tuesday, and a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 7 a.m. Tuesday for Darke and Logan counties, all issued by the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Winter Storm Warning: Significant snow expected with conditions ‘beginning to intensify’

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Y’all missed it. I saw it. Something I’ve never seen before. About twenty minutes ago, we had a Snownado. A tornado in the snow. It touched on Lake Hefner and formed the coolest tornado. I’ve lived through a hundred or more tornadoes. I thought I’d seen it all. I’m trying to find a video of it to post. We are the tornado capital of the world. Tornado Alley Moore, OK. So cool!


@themahler
While we're shattering records in OKC, why not go for an all-time record. Our coldest high temperature in recorded history (since 1890) is 2°. We'll go ahead and make a run at it today. #okwx
@NEWS9

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Hi. I sure do hope everyone is doing their best to stay warm. I’m so silly, I didn’t even think to post the winter weather here. I made a thread for the winter emergencies. So sorry y’all. I should have thought it out and located this thread.
USA - Winter Storms Emergency Declarations; February 2021

 

[CocoChanel]

Hi. I sure do hope everyone is doing their best to stay warm. I’m so silly, I didn’t even think to post the winter weather here. I made a thread for the winter emergencies. So sorry y’all. I should have thought it out and located this thread.
USA - Winter Storms Emergency Declarations; February 2021

No worries IG!
I had to dig deep to find this thread! I almost started a new Southwest States one because this one wasn’t easy to find, but then I would have made work for myself to combine the duplicate threads. Yikes. Glad I found it.

My little house is so blessed to be WITH power, while 1.2 million others in the area are without, and temps expected to dip lower tonight than last night. I am worried about them, especially those with medical issues. Houston has opened the large George R. Brown Convention Center as a “warming center”. We have at least another day of this. Ironically, temps in this area are supposed to reach 75 degrees NEXT week.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

No worries IG!
I had to dig deep to find this thread! I almost started a new Southwest States one because this one wasn’t easy to find, but then I would have made work for myself to combine the duplicate threads. Yikes. Glad I found it.

My little house is so blessed to be WITH power, while 1.2 million others in the area are without, and temps expected to dip lower tonight than last night. I am worried about them, especially those with medical issues. Houston has opened the large George R. Brown Convention Center as a “warming center”. We have at least another day of this. Ironically, temps in this area are supposed to reach 75 dEgrees NEXT week.

If you don’t like the weather in Oklahoma ~
wait a minute...
it’s cold here. Brrr. My downstairs heat went out last week. We have to get a new unit. $$$$. Gloves and hats.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Grab the blankets and sleeping bags !! Layer up and stay close together !! Make sure pets are safe and warm. Praying for you all tonight!! It's. 10 degrees tonight, out of the single digits for the first time today !! Snow overnight, but it's Michigan, wait 5 minutes it will change LOL

 

[mickey2942]

The problem with a lot of homes in Houston, Galveston, they are not built for cold weather. Not enough insulation. And cold weather, wind, with high humidity factor is no joke.

 

[swanniee11]

Praying for all of you. Stay safe and warm.

 

[CocoChanel]

Things have been very difficult in the Houston and TX area. Nearly 4 million customers without power, some for as long as 3 days so far in freezing temperatures. That means many businesses cannot open, so folks cannot get supplies if they run low, including bottled water since water pressure is nearly non-existent. Roads are treacherous with ice so hard to get out anyway. I live a block from a major thoroughfare which has been eerily silent except for the frequent sirens. It is tough, and no relief in sight until perhaps Saturday. The reasons this has been so devastating are multilayered for sure: record-breaking history-making weather in an area that is not accustomed to such frigid temps, gas and electric power plants struggling to meet demand when many of them have gone offline, and many more factors that will be debated in the days and months to come. We know we are not alone in this, so many other regions are suffering as well. Without power and consequently cell service, we have been in an information blackout as well. I am blessed to have had power restored earlier today, but I fully expect to lose it again soon. However, I know we will rise up, as we have before, as soon as we thaw out. Thanks for prayers and good thoughts sent our way. So many need them right now!