Weather Forecast for Texas: Extreme - Part III

If it’s not a record-breaking, unprecedented cold snap as experienced across Texas this past February where 111 people died during the winter storm, then it’s the other extreme, the prediction of a possible record-breaking heat wave rolling across Texas this summer.  

Droughts, flash floods, cold waves were past discussions on Westward’s blogs, and now David, Westward’s resident meteorologist, is talking about a heat wave. Does this guy ever have any good news regarding our weather patterns?      

Over the last six to twelve months, a moderate La Nina in the tropical Pacific Ocean has brought a wide range of drought conditions covering most of Texas. Rainfalls were limited in amounts and average temperatures have been above normal. Depending on location, most of the recent rainfall events generally average in amounts ranging from around 0.50 of an inch to 1.50 inches with isolated higher amounts, with the heaviest rainfalls limited to the eastern half of the state. Even the February 2021 “SNOWVID” winter storm translated to only around 1 inch of liquid equivalent rainfall.     

If the frequent moderate to heavy rains don’t continue to occur through the spring and into early summer to minimize the current drought, then this summer’s heat could get excessive across a good portion of Texas. 

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has taken note of the potential for excessive heat this summer, especially after the recent devasting winter storm that created major power outages for an extended period of time. 

ERCOT has warned Texans1, if the state experiences an excessive heat wave(s) and continued drought combined with a high demand for power, that more electricity outages may occur this summer. In fact, in the referenced web link, ERCOT has referred to such a situation as a looming “crisis” since there is a good chance to have a hotter and drier than normal summer.    

While Texas is still in recovery mode from the winter storm event and recent heavy hail in May, both of which have impacted the building industry, coupled with COVID-19 variants expected this summer, the future is uncertain for sure.

The bottom line for Texans is that we need to prepare for the possibility of blackouts this summer. 

So what can we do? Start by storing extra bottled water, and buy and use battery-operated fans. Stock up on batteries and make sure your flashlights are working, and have glow sticks on hand. It’s a good idea to buy some non-refrigerated food items (like MRE’s) and use the outdoor charcoal grill or propane stove that don’t require electricity to cook if blackouts occur. Now is the time to store up on extra charcoal, charcoal lighting fluid, and propane tanks. And don’t forget candles and matches for nighttime light too. Together, with solid preparedness, we can weather the storms that come our way.

Reference:

 1 https://www.texastribune.org/2021/04/15/Texas-ercot-blackouts-summer-climate/