Austin’s Blistering Heat Causes Widespread Power Blackouts

From blistering days to blackout nights, Austin residents call it “exhausting” trying to stay cool – and alive.

Lights Out 

On Thursday, Austinites in Texas sweltered through the state’s hottest official day this year: 107°F.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst part of their day, as a power outage that very night left more than 7,000 people throughout southwest Austin and Taylor without electricity, including air-conditioning. 

Again? 

However, this was the second night in a row that residents had to sweat through, as thousands of Austin Energy- and Oncor customers also experienced outages the night before after another blistering day. 

Bad Enough 

By 10 p.m. Thursday, about 2,300 fewer people still had outages, as per Austin Energy’s outage map. Full power was predicted to be restored before 11 p.m. 

The Reason? 

Posting a statement online, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said: “I’ve been in constant contact with AE officials throughout the evening. AE has confirmed the outage was related to high energy usage causing substation equipment to trip offline. Thank you to the crews who worked to restore power.”  

The Impacted Areas 

The disruption, which lasted for about four hours, primarily affected East Austin, a neighborhood with a significant Black- and Latino population.

However, outages were also reported in other parts including North Austin, Southwest Austin, and Lost Creek.

Making Backup Plans  

The East Side, especially, is known to suffer from more excessive heat.

While some residents attempted cooling off by fanning themselves, others traveled to unaffected locations for air-conditioning. 

An Austin Issue 

According to Austin Energy spokesperson Matt Mitchell’s statement to the American-Statesman, the cause of the outage was still being investigated as of 10 p.m.

As the utility company claimed, both Thursday- and Wednesday nights’ outages were “local” and not linked to the statewide electric grid. 

What About Wednesday? 

Mitchell also stated that Wednesday’s heat was the reason for the blackout, as a transformer was overloaded. 

And although it helped to avoid excessive damage to the system, it did lead to outages.  

Wishful Thinking 

Regarding Wednesday’s outage, Mitchell said: “We are confident it will continue to operate as it should and we will not be in a situation like we were in yesterday.”

Unfortunately, just the opposite happened.  

Texas: The Most Heat… 

Austin’s temperatures smashed a 107-year-old heat record, surpassing the 1917 one of 105°F.

Referring to the heat, Scott Fisher, Chief Meteorologist from FOX7 Weather said: “We are living through some significant weather history right now.”  

… and the Most Outages 

Climate Central reports that Texas takes first place in “heat season” power outages in the US, documenting 107 blackouts from 2014 to 2023. 

For the Southern region, Texas is responsible for 61% of these events. 

From Heat to Hurricanes 

The damage inflicted by Hurricane Beryl earlier in the season worsened the outage problem, as millions of residents in Houston were left in the dark.  

It’s estimated that 33% of the 21 confirmed deaths in Texas are due to excessive heat during extensive power cuts during and after Beryl.  

It’s Everyone’s Problem 

“It’s kind of a double whammy. You have the environmental impact and then you also have the electrical and that energy impact, too,” said Mitchell, as the record-breaking heat has been attributed to climate change. 

Not Just A/C 

Referring to the blackouts, David Thompson from East Austin said to the Latin Times that it had a big impact across the city, such as killing traffic lights and railroad crossings, resulting in rush-hour chaos. 

Too Dependable 

Thompson stated: “It’s a reminder of how vulnerable our infrastructure is, and frankly, it’s frustrating that we’re still dealing with this in 2024. It feels like we’re living in a never-ending cycle of heat waves and power outages, and it’s exhausting.”  

Just in Case 

To rectify the outage problem, Houston has successfully acquired a 400-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system, referred to as Callisto I, for dependable, zero-emissions energy. 

The system is situated at a previous fossil fuel facility in central Houston and is integral to a larger effort to enhance the city’s energy resilience. 

Much Too Much 

However, Texas can’t keep up with the growing demand, as severe weather conditions and a growing population are placing more strain on the system. 

It’s Not Working 

Thus, while those temperatures rise, the state’s dependence on air-conditioning (which 95% of households in Texas use) is placing more pressure on its independent power grid, overseen by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).  

Although ERCOT has made attempts to prepare for the increased demand this summer, frequent blackouts continue to happen. 

What to Do? 

As the grid’s stability is becoming more of an issue, many Texans are making alternative plans, including setting up generators to keep them cool during outages. 

What’s Next? 

As predicted by the National Weather Service, those sweltering temperatures will last during the weekend.

Although storms have been forecast for Monday, temperatures are expected to stay in the 90s range. 

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