Chill Factor of -13 in Dallas

[Norville]

IIRC, it was Jane Long, the “Mother of Texas,” who wrote about Galveston Bay icing-over, one winter, thick enough for a bear to walk across the ice, from the island. Now, that was cold! (I will concede that it has been awhile since I read that, so might have confused Jane Long with another pioneering Texian. (“Texian” is not a typo.)

A few years ago I went to a conference in Galveston. Looked at the weather the week before, sunny and 70s. Got there and it was low 40s and raining. Ice inland kept several of the speakers from making it. It didn’t bother me, but then again I’m used to it. TX is not.

Take care everyone. I won’t post our temperature from the morning, ‘cause we’re used to it.

[RoyGBiv]

Sitting outside on the back porch enjoying a pipe and a dram. Weather service says it's 9F. Wind is still. If it wasn't for the worry of what 1F will bring overnight, it would be a beautiful winter night.

[Jakus]

A little perspective, if I may?

Regarding Texas' electrical generating capacity, please do some digging into the Federal EPA orders that required us to shut down our lignite coal-fired generating plants. We have an over 200-year supply of relatively low-sulfur coal. We built plants that could burn locally-mined coal, and use particulate scrubbers to remove the ash particles. The exhaust never left the boundaries of the state in any measurable quantity. That didn't stop the EPA from ordering their shutdown.

We HAD a lot of generating capacity. We have also had a tremendous influx of people fleeing other states - that jobs thing you may have heard about. Binge-watching Game of Thrones does take electricity. So do folks fleeing their states when they cannot find a job, or are taxed out of their minds.

I'm over 60 and a native Texan. This is a once in a lifetime event. I have never seen a hard freeze warning for every one of the 254 counties in the state before. Ever.

I agree with you folks. We're a horrible state, with terrible drivers and piss-poor planning. No one should ever move here, and the folks who can't stand it should definitely leave. You would have to be out of your mind to even think about visiting.

If only someone would build a wall......

Absolutely this. For a little context, winter ambient design conditions for HVAC in DFW are around 20. So these temperatures are well below what many systems are designed for. Additionally, large swaths of Texas use heat pumps
for home heating. Those systems are supposed to have electric heat strips for emergency heat when the ambient temps drop below a heat pumps operating range, but many people are finding out that they may not have a 100% redundant capacity of electric heat. The supply/demands curves will probably keep kicking people in the nuts for a few more days...

[David S.]

Everybody's making fun of rolling blackouts in Texas.

Apparently they've coming to Kansas City too.

[OlongJohnson]

It's -7 F and brightly sunny here in St Paul. The dogs did ok on their walk without extra gear. Only had to carry the dachshund a hundred feet or so; He wears boots this afternoon for sure.
Don't tell them that the windchill made it -25 F, or we'd never get them down the porch steps.

On the other hand, the model 36 in my coat pocket got *cold* within two blocks.

You warm weather folks take care, wear gloves, and cover up your faces as much as is practical.

It was -12 when I stepped outside in Minneapolis on Friday morning and I did fine (I assumed it was just a normal day there, so I was surprised at how many crashes there were on the roads), so I wasn't all that impressed with the predictions for back here in SE TX.

I did have to thaw out the water supply to the house. I insulated it nicely back when I moved in, but not well enough for this weather. Built a box out of foam boards and ran a heat gun for a few minutes a couple times. Cleared it right up. My packrat/toolguy habits worked out again. Attic with two furnaces was 50F when I took a thermometer up there to check, so no worries there. Haven't lost power or 'net here at the house, and the gas is holding up. Keeping thermostats lower to do my part.

Got rid of all but one heavy winter coat a few years ago. Still have the one I got in Valencia, Spain, of all places, about 15 years ago. It was about 20F there, then, too.

Took my usual walk this afternoon at 20F. A lovely day with clear skies and sunshine.

[Stephanie B]

I’m in a SMS-text group with friends in MO, one of whom relocated to LA (west of NO).

The warmest place where any of us live tonight is CT (me).

[DrkBlue]

Everybody's making fun of rolling blackouts in Texas.

Apparently they've coming to Kansas City too.

Oklahoma, Kansas and the rest of the Southwest Power Pool states will likely to see rolling blackouts starting tomorrow in addition to Texas.

Many causes, but the largest cause is the green energy push towards wind generation. Effectively the price of wind is subsidized so low that it is too expensive for existing coal plants to burn coal. However, wind towers run into issues with lubrication systems at prolonged cold. There are not enough old coal plants to make up for the frozen wind towers when demand in high.
http://www.oasis.oati.com/SWPP/index.html

Of course, the electrical industry knows this, but politicians do not care to listen... https://www.nerc.com/pa/rrm/Webinars...r_20170907.pdf

[camel]

Nobody can keep up with the progress of energy defined by our overlords.

[HeavyDuty]

Getting concerned for my friend’s welfare down in Austin - she, her live in, and her three littles are without power. And they just discovered that their gas cooktop is one of the new ones that can’t be lit manually without power, so no hot food.

[RoyGBiv]

Getting concerned for my friend’s welfare - she, her live in, and her three littles are without power. And they just discovered that their gas cooktop is one of the new ones that can’t be lit manually without power, so no warm food. Austin.

Where?