By Jordan Watts
This past weekend Texas weathered its first winter storm of 2026, almost five years since Winter Storm Uri literally froze the state for several days. Naturally, Texans were anxious to see how the grid would hold up against the storm, especially with memories of disaster still fresh.
Despite concerns, the Texas electrical grid withstood Winter Storm Fern’s snow and ice relatively easily. Aside from some minor outages in the eastern part of the state, power lines remained strong even in the worst of things. So, what made things different this time around? Will Texans have to worry about another “Snowpocalypse” in the future?
Let’s break down how things have changed and what this means moving forward…
“Snowpocalypse,” AKA Winter Storm Uri, was the third weather event in quick succession during Winter of 2021. The state was battered with snow and ice until the Texas electricity grid ultimately failed in a catastrophic event. More than 200 people died, thousands of pipes burst and homes flooded, and the vast majority of Texans were left without power in below freezing temperatures for days.
Since then, ERCOT and Austin lawmakers have vowed that this type of catastrophic grid failure will never happen again. And, to their credit, they’ve spent the last five years putting their money where their mouth is. More than 10 billion dollars has been allocated by the Texas Legislature alone to upgrade infrastructure, winterize grid facilities, and improve overall grid reliability. On top of that, many energy providers have made private investments to stay compliant with state regulations.
After Uri, the state started requiring that energy providers and grid operators winterize their infrastructure for extreme weather just like this. That means insulating pipelines, reinforcing power plants, and equipment for defrosting wind turbines. Utility companies took advantage of both the Texas Energy Fund and private investments to ensure that damage would be less extensive moving forward.
Between Winter Storm Uri and more businesses moving to Texas in the last five years, it’s become crystal clear that the grid needs more power. In particular, the grid is in need of power that can be turned on quickly during high demand (like when everyone is cranking the heat to keep from freezing).
To help alleviate this need, Texas has been generating more and more renewable energy, especially via wind turbines. The stress on the grid has also been partially alleviated by increased battery capacity, according to Latitude Media “the state has more than ten times as much battery capacity on the grid today as it did during Uri.”
Critical infrastructure facilities, including hospitals and emergency shelters, now can provide 48 hours of standalone power during an outage. This standalone power comes from generators that use a mix of natural gas and renewable energy sources. Beyond ensuring these facilities stay operating in critical conditions, these backup generators can temporarily relieve the load on the grid for infrastructure that requires a large amount of electricity to operate.
On top of all the investments made to help the electricity grid withstand another sustained freeze, Winter Storm Fern simply wasn’t as intense as Uri. Comparatively speaking, conditions in Texas were mild: temperatures didn’t dip quite as low, half as many days at subfreezing temperatures, and less ice overall.
Unlike in 2021, state grid operators were able to monitor conditions and handle localized power outages without declaring a grid emergency. This was a stark contrast to 2021, where ERCOT instructed utilities to institute rolling blackouts which had to be done manually. Backup generation was made available at critical infrastructure on orders from The U.S. Department of Energy, and major facilities, like data centers, were required to operate backup generators to reduce the risk of blackouts. Still though, the Texas grid managed to hold its own.
There were some localized power outages that took place in East and Northeastern Texas. At its worst 130,000 customers were without power, with the most affected area in Texas being Nacogdoches County.
On Sunday, backup generation was made available at critical infrastructure on orders from The U.S. Department of Energy, and major facilities, like data centers, were required to operate backup generators to reduce the risk of blackouts.
Still, the Texas grid managed to hold its own.
Texas continues to reinvest in the grid, expanding generation capacity and relying more on alternative sources of energy to take stress off in times of high demand. While the state and ERCOT are doing everything in their power to avoid another catastrophe like Winter Storm Uri it’s still important to remain prepared.
Investing in a battery or generator for your home can help to ensure that your home never has to go entirely without power for a prolonged period. Additionally, reducing your energy usage during times of high demand, especially due to extreme temperatures, can help your entire community.
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