Polar blast hits warm gulf air.
Two stories going on – the violent storms where the fronts collide, and the life threatening and grid busting cold in the main polar air mass.
Temperatures over the weekend and into the start of the new workweek are going to be downright brutal, with low temperatures reaching well below zero and daytime highs struggling to make it to zero.
By Saturday morning, temperatures in the western U.S. could plummet to between 20 and 30 degrees below zero, including cities such as Missoula and Billings in Montana and Casper in Wyoming.
Below, WFAA report in Dallas. Concerns exist, but the event is not expected to be as extreme, or carry the same precipitation punch, as 2021.
Threat level: The frigid conditions are bringing the coldest air of the season and raise concerns about the resilience of the Texas electric grid, which suffered a major failure during a deadly February 2021 cold blast.
- The cold air will first cross the U.S. border with Canada on Thursday, then will make its way to the northern Rockies and Upper Plains on Friday. Temperatures will plunge to well below zero degrees Fahrenheit in Montana, the Dakotas and Minnesota.
- Daytime highs in this region may only hit the single digits or stay well below zero in the northern Rockies and the Plains, with temperatures ranging from 30°F to 50°F below average for this time of year
The intrigue: The Texas grid failure in 2021 was deadly, but the cold temperatures were more extreme and long-lasting compared with what most computer models are projecting for next week.
- In addition, heavy snow and ice made 2021 even more impactful; this particular cold blast may not come with as much precipitation.
- The cold blast is known throughout Texas by the Weather Channel’s storm name of “Uri” (the NWS does not name winter storms).
- It featured a cascade of energy infrastructure failures.
Zoom in: The state’s electric grid has changed significantly since that event occurred.
- A Texas law passed in 2021 should have resulted in a better-winterized power plant fleet, according to Joshua Rhodes, a researcher at UT Austin.
- The state has also deployed about 18 times more battery storage than it had then, according to Doug Lewin, author of the Texas Energy and Power Newsletter.