Millions of Texans remained without power on Wednesday morning, although temperatures have risen above zero in half the state, a possible sign that the state’s power grid could make significant progress in restoring service. Pockets of Texas entered its third consecutive day of widespread power failure amid a prolonged winter storm, as utility companies and the power grid struggled to restore service.
Network operators and energy companies pleaded for patience as they tried to restore normal service. “We know that this is difficult. We continue to work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power, ”tweeted the Texas grid operator on Wednesday morning. “We hope to reduce interruptions throughout the day.”
The emergency started in the early hours of Monday morning, when several power plants shut down in quick succession. The deep freeze continued until Wednesday in the northern part of the state, making it difficult for authorities to restore power across the state.
What’s going on in Texas?
An unusual explosion in the Arctic spread through Texas on Monday and Tuesday, from the tip of the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley. Residents of large areas of the state experienced two consecutive days of single-digit temperatures.
The widespread cold climate led to record electricity demand. On Sunday night until Monday morning, the icy conditions hurt dozens of power plants. This prompted the state network operator to declare its most serious state of emergency around 1:30 am on Monday.