HOUSTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Greg Abbott, governor of the south-central U.S. state of Texas, on Friday warned of "ultra cold temperatures" the state is bracing for in the coming days, while expecting the state's electric grid will withstand.
Dallas in northern Texas is to see a new record low of 14 degrees Fahrenheit as temperatures across the region are expected to fall below freezing overnight Saturday and are likely to stay until next Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
The low Sunday night into Monday morning is expected to be around 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Dallas-Fort Worth.
In Houston, the fourth largest U.S. city located in southeastern Texas, a hard freeze will bring the coldest weather since 2022, according to the latest forecast.
"We believe that the power grid, ERCOT, is going to be able to ensure that power is available through the entirety of this winter storm," Abbott said at a news conference in Austin, Texas' capital city.
As of Friday afternoon, the pressure on power supply is projected to be the tightest next Tuesday morning and evening into the night, said Electric Reliability Council of Texas President and CEO Pablo Vegas.
"We are using every tool in our toolbox make sure that the grid is going to be absolutely ready and prepared to deliver energy to all of Texas throughout this weather event," said Vegas, adding that the grid is better prepared.
ERCOT has issued a winter weather watch for next Monday through Wednesday. There is a possibility that local outages could be caused by ice on power lines or high winds, local media reported.
The massive February 2021 winter storm crashed Texas energy system, leaving tens of thousands Texans without power for days. Addressing the anxiety among residents, Abbott said this time it will be different as the winter weather will not last as long and the powre grid is better prepared.
"It will last for several days, but it will not be anything close to what we experienced during (2021) winter storm," he said.
Frigid temperatures are expected to affect power grids across the United States in the coming days. ■
