The last time Texas was this cold was in 1989. With temperatures falling to below -10C (14F), the state’s power grid failed, as it could not cope with the demand for electricity. Rotating power outages have been put in place by the grid operator to reduce the demand, leaving millions of people without electricity.
At least 23 people died in the storm or its aftermath.
Millions of people remained without power on Tuesday and
were planning for another cold, dark night in the wake of the deadly storm that
swept across the southern and central parts of the United States this week. In
many of these places, such devastating conditions arrive just once in a
generation.
#1 Texas Game Wardens Rescued 141 Sea Turtles
Texas Game Wardens assigned to Cameron county rescued 141 sea turtles from the frigid waters of the Brownsville Ship Channel and surrounding bays. The sea turtles were transported via the PV Murchison, operated by Sgt. Game Warden Duke and B/M Bowers-Vest.
At least 23 people have died since winter began unleashing its fury last week, some from the cold and some from attempts to escape it. And almost four million customers across the country remained without electricity on Tuesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us, which aggregates live power data from utilities.
More than 3.5 million of those outages were in Texas.
There, many people had been without power for hours or even days in freezing
temperatures. State leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, expressed criticism of
the operation of the state’s power grid, and the Texas House speaker announced
a legislative hearing looking into the widespread power failures.
#2 My Friend In Texas Swore He’d Never Fly In A Chopper After Iraq. Today He Broke That Promise To Care For Patients. At His Own Expense He Got To The Er The Only Way He Could
Experts have begun to analyze what could have been the key factors behind the grid failures in Texas. It looks like record-breaking cold weather spurred residents to crank up their electric heaters and pushed demand for electricity beyond the worst-case scenarios that grid operators had planned for.
Simultaneously, many of the state’s gas-fired power
plants were knocked offline amid icy conditions, and some plants appeared to
suffer fuel shortages as natural gas demand spiked nationwide. Also, many wind
turbines in Texas froze and stopped working, although it’s worth mentioning
that this was a smaller part of the problem.
#3 My Parents Let The Dog Go Outside After The Storm. These Are The Resulting Footprints
Some people, however, manage to find some joy during this struggle. Damian Syrianos, who is originally from Sag Harbor, NY, found himself in the middle of the havoc in Texas too, and he found a nice way to make the best out of the whole ordeal—he attached a rope to a car, hopped onto a snowboard, and went on to have some fun on the white streets.
“This is typical for me to do in NY when it snows with friends but not typical in Texas,” he told Bored Panda. “I believe the last time they had this much snow was 1986. So I had to take full advantage of it, especially with plenty of experience to back it!”
“The storm hit us pretty hard, for Texas—I’ve been
through much worse with fewer issues. The state not being prepared, shutting
off power, and not having any plows to clear the roads so we can go to the
grocery store are all huge issues, but I just took advantage of it and went
snowboarding.”
#4 Probably The Best Picture I Have Ever Taken Of Mops. She Enjoyed The Texas Snow Today!
“So far, I haven’t really left my house in 4 days other than to go to the grocery store,” Damian added. “But there is a positive note. This is the first time I, an ‘essential worker’, don’t have to go into work since COVID started!”
Coming back to snowboarding, Damian said it was amazing: “There was no one else driving around so no issues, got some sweet turns in and a whole lot of smiles.
“I’m a Greek-American regenerative farmer that’s just
starting out and looking to help the community in many ways. Hoping to put a
smile on people’s faces in any way I can,” Damian explained.
#5 Plowing Snow With A Cardboard TV Box
Throughout the state, the National Guard has been deployed and 135 public warming centers have opened up to provide people with an escape from the frigid weather, although Covid-19 precautions remain in effect.
In Harris County, which includes the city of Houston,
health workers scrambled to distribute Covid-19 vaccines as freezers lost power
and backup generators failed. The county had to hurriedly administer 8,500
shots of the Covid-19 Moderna vaccine, which must be stored at temperatures
between minus 13 degrees and 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
#6 My Mother In Texas Made Some Incredible Octopus Art Out Of The Snow To Bring Some Light Into The Dark Times
According to the USDA, Texas is the country’s
third-largest citrus-producing state behind California and Florida. Dale
Murden, president of Texas Citrus Mutual, a trade group that represents the
interests of citrus growers in the state, told AccuWeather that growers were
“about 50% harvested to date on grapefruit,” when the brutally cold weather hit
early this week, and were “just beginning to harvest our late Valencia orange.”
#7 Texas Winter Storm
Yeah…I am not sure if this is the “right kind” of dog to
“normal Texas” weather. He must suffer terribly in heat for most part of the
year..
#8 At Least One Guy Is Enjoying The Texas Blackouts
#9 Texas Winter Storm
“Most everyone saw temps of 21 degrees for several hours,” Murden, who also is a grower, said. “We will no doubt lose some of the crops as we are seeing some ice buildup inside the fruit.”
According to Murden, when temperatures dip below 28
degrees and stay below that mark for five hours or longer, the fruit that is
still on branches begins to freeze on the inside.
#10 Texas Winter Storm
Uh, where did the water come from? There seems to be a
BIG problem there.
#11 Texas Winter Storm
That’s actually a brilliant idea. I’m in Florida where it
is currently 34 degrees Fahrenheit. Not freezing anymore, but I have pictures
of ice yesterday.
#12 24 Hours Without Power Here In Texas But This Is The First Time Either Of Us Have Seen Snow
I remember the first time in Florida: cold snap came,
women in full-length fur coats. We wore our lightweight fall jackets. Thick
blood they said we had.
#13 Left The Faucet Dripping To Keep The Pipes From Freezing. It Didn’t Work Out. Taylor, Texas
Citrus groves in Texas are largely situated in the Lower
Rio Grande Valley in parts of Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties, Murden
explained. Several groves are located in Mission, a city of about 85,000 that
is about 240 miles south of San Antonio, right along the border with Mexico.
“Come and enjoy the warm weather,” the city writes on its website.
#14 Guess I’ll Wait Till Next Week
guess you’ll wait untill it is repaired. I imagine things
are broken because of the ice.
#15 Massive Cold Stun Of Sea Turtles Here In
South Padre, 1500 Turtles Rescued So Far…and No Power To Warm Them Up
Wait, isn’t the water in the sea WARMER than the air over
land? Why remove the Sea Turtles from the sea?
#16 Texas Winter Storm
#17 Don’t Have Power But Got This Photo Of A Guy Skiing Down Congress Yesterday!
Public transportation authorities in cities like San Antonio are modifying bus schedules, and in some cases, even pausing them altogether. Jeff Arndt, the chief executive of San Antonio’s transit authority, VIA, told the Guardian that informing riders of the changes to public transportation – like suspending all bus services Sunday evening and operating a weekend bus schedule on weekdays – will be a difficult challenge.
We can handle the logistics of getting people in and
making sure the buses are fueled. It’s really getting the information to the
customers,” Arndt said.
#18 Im Mean…. Its Not Often You Can Say You Went Snowboarding In Texas
When I was in university our street flooded with about 4
inches of water. It was a crescent, so a perfect loop. We did this exact same
thing but with a wakeboard
#19 It Finally Snows In Texas And The Only Local Ski Slope Is Being Guarded
#20 Hello. My Name Is Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare To Die
#21 Texas Winter Storm
But nothing in the history of Texas compares to February 12th, 1899.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in the state
occurred at Tulia in Swisher County in the extreme southern Texas Panhandle.
The thermometer dropped to 23 degrees below zero. However, there were
unofficial reports that were even colder. Low temperatures of 30 degrees below
zero were measured that night at Wolf Creek and at a site southeast of
Perryton, both in Ochiltree County in the northern Panhandle. This cold air
spread throughout the state with reports of a thin layer of ice coating most of
Galveston Bay.
#22 I Saw German Outdoor Freezers And Decided To Share Mine From Texas
This is common throughout the northern parts of the world
#23 2021 Houston Valentine’s Day Freeze
Glad to see roads are empty of cars = less accidental
chaos.
#24 Seeing Snow On Our Cactus Is So Surreal!
#25 Texas Winter Storm
That they even have to write this…
#26 I Kinda Felt Like I Was In 30 Days Of Night. It Was Beautiful Out There But Also Slightly Terrifying
#27 Texas Winter Storm
#28 24+ Hours No Power (Some Sparse Moments Of Relief). 40 Degrees Inside But Eating Warm Food Tonight
You make do with what you have, and this is good thinking
on his part. And now I want a charred hot dog.
#29 Going To The Restroom In Texas Today. (Real Pic From A House In Dallas)
I don’t understand how water can get there?
#30 I Was Basically In My Car With My Mom
From 8 Am Until Close To 6 Pm Today Just Staying Warm, Finding Food And Getting
Gas. Welcome To Houston Aka Ghetto Narnia. I Miss Last Week
Oh my god. “Ghetto Narnia”. Someone has to write that
book.
#31 Props To Our Local Canyon Lake Farmers, Who Are Caring For Animals (And Plants) Through This Weather
“Ma, where is my wool sweater & coat?”
#32 Beva The Longhorn Isn’t Phased By This –
Just Wanted A Bit Of Love
What a beautiful animal!
#33 Texas Winter Storm
If I were staying there, I would be SO tempted to show
off my Wisconsin-ness and take a dip.
#34 This Winter Storm System Is Testing Us In Many Ways. Pushing Us To Our Limits. Creating Challenges We Didn’t Expect And Requiring Us To Make Tough Decisions
It’s hard to see the beauty in any of this snow through the pits in our stomachs, shivering animals, no running water, and no power for over 100 hours at the farm. We’ve all been doing our best to keep the eggs warm and the animals fed, but this egg got away.
Here’s the inside of a frozen chicken egg.
It’s times like these we look to our northern farmers and old pioneers for guidance and encouragement. We imagine our forefathers over the last 166 years going through similar conditions never having known the comfort of a lightbulb. We take these as lessons but it’s hard when you’re actually going through it.
We will not be on the roads this week and will not be supplying our beloved club members, markets, and chefs any eggs this week. We wish you all safety and comfort during this difficult storm.
Don’t the farms have an additional power supply for situations
like these?
#35 It’s Hard To Believe I’m Still In Texas
New state motto? “Texas: The Other Michigan.”
Originally published on the beauty of planet