Millions of Texans were without power Wednesday morning, even though temperatures rose above freezing in half of the state, a possible sign that the state’s power grid could make significant headway in restoring service. Pockets of Texas embarked on their third straight day of widespread power outage amid a protracted winter storm, as utility companies and the grid scrambled to restore service.
The grid operators and energy companies pleaded for patience as they attempted to restore normal service. ‘We know this is difficult. We will continue to work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power, ”the Texas grid operator tweeted Wednesday morning. “We hope to reduce outages during the day.”
The emergency started in the early morning hours of Monday when several power plants went offline in quick succession. The freezer lasted until Wednesday in the north of the state, making it difficult for officials to restore power in the state.
What’s going on in Texas?
An unusual polar blast spread across Texas on Monday and Tuesday from the tip of the Panhandle all the way to the Rio Grande Valley. Residents of large areas of the state had single-digit temperatures for two consecutive days.
The widespread cold weather resulted in record demand for electricity. From Sunday evening to Monday morning, icy conditions bumped dozens of power plants. This prompted the state’s grid operator to declare the most serious state of emergency around 01:30 on Monday.