Texas is heading into a risky stretch of weather this week with triple-digit heat and a tropical storm. In a state where air conditioning can be lifesaving, that combination is also poised to put the power grid under pressure.<\/p>\n
What’s happening?<\/p>\n
Later this week, Tropical Storm Bertha<\/a> could lash Texas, which is dealing with temperatures above 100 degrees and heat index values nearing 110 in some areas, Fox 7 reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages 90%<\/a> of the state’s electric load, the overlap of intense heat and a storm could drive electricity use close to record territory.\u00a0<\/p>\n “ERCOT is expecting moderately high to high demand with peaks in the mid-80,000- to lower-90,000-megawatt range,” ERCOT<\/a> (@ERCOT_ISO) wrote<\/a> on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0The current demand record was set Aug. 10, 2023, at 85,508 megawatts, per Fox 7.<\/p>\n Why does it matter?<\/p>\n When extreme heat and severe weather hit at the same time, the risks go far beyond an uncomfortable forecast.<\/p>\n High temperatures can quickly become a public health emergency, particularly for outdoor workers, older and younger people, and people with medical conditions. If outages happen during that heat, homes can become dangerous quickly.<\/p>\n Worsening extreme weather disasters also threaten livelihoods. Power disruptions can shut down businesses, spoil food and medicine, leave families dealing with repair costs just as energy bills rise.<\/p>\n What’s being done?<\/p>\n Based on its six-day supply-and-demand forecast, ERCOT expects it will be able to cover the projected rise in demand, according to Fox 7.<\/p>\n For residents, pre-cooling a home in the morning, closing blinds during the hottest part of the day, and avoiding heavy appliance use in peak afternoon hours can keep household bills from climbing even higher.<\/p>\n Texans can prepare for short-term disruptions by charging devices, checking flashlights and backup batteries, reviewing plans for medications that need refrigeration, and knowing where local cooling centers or shelters are located. Creating a go-bag can also help people stay prepared.<\/p>\n Get TCD’s free newsletters<\/a> for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Texas is heading into a risky stretch of weather this week with triple-digit heat and a tropical storm.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381647,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3413,3205,12278,14303,4375,27,29,28,12371,133901],"class_list":["post-381646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-ercot","tag-heat","tag-heat-index","tag-power-grid","tag-severe-weather","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news","tag-tropical-storm","tag-tropical-storm-bertha"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}