Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued disaster declarations Thursday for more than 130 counties ahead of a winter freeze expected to sweep into the state, bringing days of subfreezing temperatures and the chance of ice or snow.
Beginning on Friday, forecasts show temperatures across much of Texas plummeting into the low 20s, with the cold likely plunging deeper into the single digits through Monday. State officials say the extended stretch of freezing weather could lead to icy roads, power disruptions and dangerous conditions for vulnerable residents.
“The goal is to make it through with no life lost,” Gov. Abbott said during a Thursday morning press conference.
Abbott said emergency personnel will be deployed across the state, ready to respond to crashes and rescue people who become stranded in freezing conditions. He also said the state was opening more than 280 warming centers to provide shelter for people without heat or safe housing, and that state and local crews had already begun pre-treating roadways ahead of the storm to reduce icing and improve driving conditions.
“We are acting right now,” Abbott said, urging Texans to prepare for the cold and heed local warnings. State officials encouraged residents to stock emergency supplies, winterize homes to prevent burst pipes, closely monitor forecasts and avoid travel on icy roads.
The freeze comes nearly four years after the devastating February 2021 winter storm, when extreme cold overwhelmed Texas’ power grid. Millions were left without electricity for days and more than 240 people died statewide.
Since then, state leaders and grid operators have taken steps to improve reliability during extreme cold, including requiring power plants and transmission facilities to weatherize their equipment. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the state’s power system, told The Texas Newsroom on Tuesday that it expects the grid to meet demand throughout the duration of the storm.
“The ERCOT grid has never been stronger, never been more prepared,” Abbott said on Thursday. “It’s fully capable of handling this winter storm.”
Abbott cautioned, however, that while the state’s power grid is stronger, localized outages could still occur if freezing weather damages power lines or other distribution equipment.
CenterPoint Energy, which serves the Greater Houston area and accounts for roughly 25% of the total electricity demand on the state’s power grid, told Houston Public Media that it’s prepared for the storm. The general manager of Austin’s city-owned utility also said it’s ready.
