Arctic blast brings rolling blackouts and water shortage

Last week’s record-breaking low temperatures left the county first without electricity and then without water, as a wicked freeze followed by a slower thaw revealed problems that piled up for residents and businesses alike.

The weather system that moved in on Valentine’s Day weekend initially brought a coating of ice that built up on tree limbs and power lines and was the original cause of many electrical outages. Before crews could catch up and repair them over the weekend, record-breaking lows Monday caused power plants, generators of all kinds, and pipelines to freeze up, often due to lack of winterization.

A power shortage followed, and when combined with an all-time high winter peak demand, created a crisis that led to ERCOT calling for rotating outages starting at 1:25 a.m. Monday, Feb. 15.

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