More than 2.7 million people across Texas are currently without power, as most of the state faces single digit temperatures and thermal sensation below zero, according to the national utility tracker poweroutage.us.
The most recently: Several state airports announced that flights would be canceled on Monday due to weather conditions.
- Houston Hobby Airport said its airfield “will remain closed” until Tuesday.
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport announced that all flights have been canceled and it is recommended that travelers contact specific airlines to handle flight details
- Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport said all outbound flights would be kept at their points of origin until 11 am local time, adding that travelers whose outbound flights are still scheduled must prepare for extreme weather conditions.
The big picture: Large areas of the country, including the southeast to the center of the United States, under a winter storm warning, according to the National Weather Service. Freezing temperatures in Texas are historic and have not been seen for decades, according to experts and state department of transportation.
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What is happening: The Texas Electric Reliability Council announced after 1 am Monday morning that it would start rotating interruptions due to extreme weather to shut down generators.
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) issued a disaster declaration on February 12, saying that prolonged freezing temperatures, hail and heavy snow can lead to death, injury and property damage.
- There are reports of road closures across the state, including Houston and San Antonio, with freezing temperatures expected for at least the following day.
“The flood of storms and extreme cold it can be traced back to a rupture in early January of the polar vortex, which allowed lobes of extreme cold to descend south over North America, Europe and Asia, “reports the Washington Post Capital Weather Gang.