Will the power go out this weekend? Texas power grid anxiety ahead of winter storm
North Texas could see power outages during the upcoming winter storm, but during a Thursday news conference officials said steps have been taken to mitigate electricity disruptions, and they sought to soothe lingering anxieties over the integrity of the state’s power grid.
Any outages that may occur are likely to be localized, and not as a result of an electric grid failure, like what was seen in February 2021’s deadly storm, when millions were left without electricity for days, the officials said.
“Ice accumulation on lines and trees is going to be the most impactful to the grid, and based on the weather forecast we’ve seen, the Metroplex is where that’s going to really be centered,” said Thomas Gleeson, chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
He was among the state officials who joined Gov. Greg Abbott in Austin, where reporters were briefed by leaders of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas Department of Transportation and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
Much of North Texas is expected to receive between a quarter and a half inch of ice.
Oncor, an electric delivery company that serves much of North Texas, said Wednesday that it has “more than doubled” its tree trimming efforts over the past year. The vegetation management will continue ahead of the storm, for as long as it is safe, Oncor said. Gleeson praised that work and said it will mitigate the impact of ice on trees.
ERCOT on Wednesday issued a “weather watch” because of “forecasted below-freezing temperatures with the possibility of frozen precipitation, higher electrical demand, and the potential for lower reserves.”
Abbott and other officials assured Texans that the state’s power grid is reliable and prepared.
“I know that a lot of people across the state are thinking about, ‘Gosh, is this going to be a catastrophic winter storm that is going to cause us to lose power?’” Abbott said. “The answer is that the ERCOT grid has never been stronger, never been more prepared and is fully capable of handling this winter storm.”
There’s “no expectation whatsoever” that there is going to be any loss of power from the power grid, Abbott said, distinguishing between a widespread grid outage and local outages as a result of things like down power lines due to ice. He assured Texans that local providers are ready for the storm.
“The local power providers have never been more prepared for any winter storm ever,” Abbott said. “They’re going to have trucks, vehicle and personnel to make sure that if your power line goes down near your house, they’re going to get it up and running as quickly as possible.”
The governor issued a disaster declaration for 134 counties, including Tarrant, and warned that the weather conditions will increase in severity as the weekend nears and progresses.
Abbott urged Texans to prepare for the storm now, rather than later.
“Don’t begin getting prepared late tomorrow or think you can get around to doing it on Saturday,” Abbott said. “It’s going to be too late.”
Texans were also urged to stay off the road, if possible, and to be cautious if they have to drive.
“We are acting right now to make sure the roadways in all the affected areas are being layered with elements that will help ensure that we can prevent as much freezing as possible, make driving on them as safe as possible, knowing full well, we will not be able to fully achieve that,” Abbott said.
Winter storm resources for Texans
Check the status of the power grid: ercot.com
Check for Oncor power outages: stormcenter.oncor.com
Check for road closures: drivetexas.org
Find warming centers in Texas: tdem.texas.gov/warm
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 2:47 PM.
