An unusually severe winter storm in Texas left more than 2 million customers without power in the state amid dangerously low temperatures.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Saturday that Texas “in the coming days” is facing a very dangerous winter storm that will “make movement virtually impossible.”
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He calls the storm ‘unprecedented’ in the history of the state.
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Rotary power outages were initiated early Monday morning by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, meaning thousands were left without electricity for short periods as temperatures dropped near Dallas and 20s (about minus 5 degrees Celsius) around Houston in the teens. has.
The provinces of Kent and Brazos, on either side of the state, have been hit hardest by almost all customers who have lost power, according to an online power outage detection.
“The electricity network is still losing power,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told residents Twitter. “If you are without power, you can be without power all day. Please do your best to stay warm safely. Look at our seniors.”
Temperatures dropped below 0 in some Texas towns on Monday. Amarillo reported a temperature of -8, while Midland had a temperature of 0 and Lubbock a temperature of 1, according to WeatherWX.com.
President Biden also declared a state of emergency in Texas in a statement Sunday night. The statement is intended to add federal aid to state and local response efforts.
More than 760 flights were canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and at Dallas Love Field, most of the nearly 200 flights for Southwest Airlines, the airport’s main carrier, were canceled Sunday.
The National Forecast for Monday, February 15 (Fox News)
American Airlines said 345 of its flights to DFW Airport, its hub, were canceled early on Sunday night. The airline said the storm also affected its flights through the region, while operations were reduced and canceled at airports in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The current storm system formed Friday night and stretches across much of the Ohio Valley and Appalachians to the northeast. Texas has issued a winter storm warning for the entire weekend and early part of the week.
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“The maximum preparation for cold weather MUST be completed today,” Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist from the Flood Control District in Harris County, tweeted Sunday morning. “Time is running out and conditions will deteriorate rapidly late this afternoon and evening.”
Road safety will be a top priority after Fort Worth had a congestion last week with more than 130 vehicles, including 18-wheelers and passenger vehicles, resulting in six deaths and dozens of injuries.
In El Paso, a congestion of 15 cars on Sunday morning was a warning to all who wanted to travel, but fortunately no deaths were reported from Sunday, reports KFOX14.
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Peter Aitken and Associated Press of Fox News contributed to this report.