Texans who have endured power grid failures and almost yearly ice and snow calamities hardly need to be cautioned about severe weather. But an online energy infrastructure influencer is sounding the alarm bells ahead of a major Arctic front expected to hit this weekend.
TikToker Mr. Global (@mrglobaltoo), also known as Matt Randolph, claims that three inches of ice forecast for northern Texas would bring power lines down and leave emergency crews out of reach. The colored bands of weather severity on the map behind him in the video show varying levels, none of which look favorable for Lone Star State residents.
“This is going to be one of those storms you probably remember for much, much of your life. Basically, more than the eastern half of the United States is going to be below freezing, most of that below zero,” he said in the clip that’s been viewed more than 2.8 million times. “Three inches of ice is unbelievably catastrophic. That is worse than what Texas experienced in 2021. There’s going to be loss of life. Anywhere there’s three inches of ice, there’s no power.”
Weather services across the state have predicted the approaching storm will be severe, though it is currently not projected to be as devastating as winter storm Uri was in February 2021. That freeze crippled the Texas power grid, leaving millions without electricity. The storm forecast calls for a severe drop in temperatures beginning Friday, bringing rain, sleet, snow, and ice across large parts of the state.
The National Weather Service has said a wintry mix will hit much of Texas, from the Northeast region into Central and South Central population centers. In San Antonio and South Central Texas, officials warn temperatures could plunge into the low 20s, increasing the likelihood of ice buildup on roadways.
The storm is linked to a larger Arctic air mass pushing deep into the southern U.S., bringing weather that’s unprecedented in some parts of the country for this time of year. National models suggest a mix of snow in the North, transitioning to freezing rain further south as the weekend progresses.
Winter Weather Disaster Revisited?
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages most of the state’s power grid, has issued a weather watch for the weekend, acknowledging the potential for below-freezing temperatures, frozen precipitation, higher power demand, and lower energy reserves. The agency also noted that grid conditions are expected to remain normal and that there is presently no expectation of an energy emergency or rotating power outages.
Officials emphasized that plentiful generation capacity is expected to meet demand through the early part of next week, and there is currently no call for voluntary conservation. That’s in contrast with the 2021 winter storm, which saw prolonged subfreezing conditions overwhelm generation capacity, forcing rolling blackouts to prevent a catastrophic system failure.
As of Wednesday, state and local government agencies were beginning to mobilize and prepare for the conditions. In North Texas, officials in Dallas and surrounding areas started treating bridges and overpasses with anti-icing solutions, issuing warnings that temperatures could remain below freezing for nearly 100 hours as the storm unfolded.
Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to activate emergency resources, including the Texas National Guard and additional equipment, to help respond to hazardous conditions and any impacts to the power system.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has urged residents to stay home and prepare for severe cold and possible ice, while also coordinating with CenterPoint Energy and opening emergency warming centers with generators as a precaution.
In the Austin area, Austin Energy crews prepared for the storm by trimming branches, focusing on areas most at risk of winter damage, and preparing to respond to outages.
Mirroring the warnings in the TikTok clip, experts caution that even modest accumulations of ice can cause dangerous travel conditions and widespread localized power outages. Ice accumulation on tree limbs and power lines weakens the infrastructure, causing lines to fail and interrupting service until crews are available to repair the damage. Forecasts for ice totals vary across the state and remain uncertain, with many meteorologists stressing that small shifts in the storms can produce very different outcomes.
How To Prepare
As the storm approaches, officials recommend that the public monitor updates from the National Weather Service and local emergency management offices for the latest forecast changes and any safety advisories. Also crucial: ensuring adequate food and water supplies, safeguarding plumbing from freezing, and avoiding travel during the storm’s peak. This is especially critical as temperatures are expected to drop, with wintry precipitation transitioning from rain to freezing rain and sleet, depending on conditions in each area. All of those variables are expected to create unpredictable conditions and increasingly dangerous travel and health risks from exposure.
While memories of the severity of the 2021 storm remain, Mr. Global’s TikTok seems to be raising the alarm and ratcheting up worry to the highest possible level, but state leaders and power grid officials aren’t forecasting a repeat. Still, they see the potential for hazardous travel and significant power outages, along with dangerous cold, that should be taken very seriously and warrant diligence and preparation.
Patch reached out to Randolph via email and direct message. We’ll update this if he responds.