What caused the Texas power outage?

Data showed that failure to winterize power sources, principally natural gas infrastructure but also to a lesser extent wind turbines , had caused the grid failure, with a drop in power production from natural gas more than five times greater than that from wind turbines.

How close was Texas to grid Collapse?

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — On Feb. 15, 2021, the Texas power grid was four minutes and 37 seconds away from completely collapsing, an event that would have triggered a “black start.” It would have taken months to mend Texas' electric infrastructure, and left millions without power for just as long.

What is the problem with the Texas power grid?

Unfortunately, in 2021, more than half of the overall electricity generation in Texas came from natural gas, while about 30% came from wind and solar power. ERCOT's order eventually exposed a devastating loophole: Natural gas production relies on electricity, and electricity relies on natural gas production .

OFF THE GRID: United States and Orange County, Texas Power Outage Tracker (2024)

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Power Outages

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As severe weather or blizzards threaten, this database aggregates power outage information from more than 1,000 companies nationwide. It will automatically update every 15 minutes.

Orange County, Texas power outages in last 15 days

Total tracked customers: 41,434

Power outages in last 72 hours

View the map as of

% of Power Outages

More than 80%

75-80%

70-75%

65-70%

60-65%

Power outages in Texas

Area	% of power outage	Number of outages reported	Number of customers tracked
Texas	0.0	6,892	14,947,018
Shelby County, TX	2.7	137	5,081
Jackson County, TX	1.8	86	4,659
Hudspeth County, TX	0.5	14	3,089
Dimmit County, TX	0.4	27	7,032
Orange County, TX	0.4	173	41,434
Walker County, TX	0.4	153	34,541
Anderson County, TX	0.3	73	28,415
Fisher County, TX	0.3	4	1,576
Limestone County, TX	0.3	63	19,605
Refugio County, TX	0.3	14	5,052
Houston County, TX	0.2	35	15,779
Irion County, TX	0.2	6	2,736
Montgomery County, TX	0.2	503	330,949
Nueces County, TX	0.2	262	164,395
Parker County, TX	0.2	130	73,887
Baylor County, TX	0.1	1	1,717
Bee County, TX	0.1	11	13,741
Bexar County, TX	0.1	573	908,233
Bowie County, TX	0.1	27	49,771
Brazoria County, TX	0.1	240	173,776
Brewster County, TX	0.1	11	7,644
Calhoun County, TX	0.1	4	7,824
Cherokee County, TX	0.1	17	30,809
Colorado County, TX	0.1	5	6,407
Concho County, TX	0.1	3	2,869
Fort Bend County, TX	0.1	441	353,054
Galveston County, TX	0.1	99	180,915
Harris County, TX	0.1	2,632	2,117,123
Jeff Davis County, TX	0.1	4	2,761
Jim Wells County, TX	0.1	23	21,360
Jones County, TX	0.1	7	6,030
Milam County, TX	0.1	9	13,949
Oldham County, TX	0.1	1	1,505
San Saba County, TX	0.1	2	2,076
Shackelford County, TX	0.1	4	2,869
Tarrant County, TX	0.1	530	954,310
Terrell County, TX	0.1	1	1,168
Wharton County, TX	0.1	13	23,909
Wise County, TX	0.1	37	40,477
Andrews County, TX	0.0	1	10,830
Angelina County, TX	0.0	16	45,697
Austin County, TX	0.0	4	18,853
Bandera County, TX	0.0	1	17,148
Bastrop County, TX	0.0	1	46,998
Bell County, TX	0.0	3	176,103
Blanco County, TX	0.0	1	11,011
Cameron County, TX	0.0	8	119,074
Castro County, TX	0.0	1	7,811
Chambers County, TX	0.0	8	25,421
Collin County, TX	0.0	10	466,139
Coryell County, TX	0.0	1	24,147
Dallas County, TX	0.0	169	1,132,074
Deaf Smith County, TX	0.0	2	13,340
Denton County, TX	0.0	4	514,566
DeWitt County, TX	0.0	1	10,263
Ector County, TX	0.0	7	88,281
Ellis County, TX	0.0	1	96,074
Frio County, TX	0.0	4	10,159
Gaines County, TX	0.0	1	16,505
Grayson County, TX	0.0	5	79,614
Gregg County, TX	0.0	4	63,462
Grimes County, TX	0.0	2	18,839
Harrison County, TX	0.0	4	29,948
Hays County, TX	0.0	1	134,419
Henderson County, TX	0.0	2	56,142
Hidalgo County, TX	0.0	4	341,769
Hill County, TX	0.0	1	23,924
Hockley County, TX	0.0	5	16,605
Hopkins County, TX	0.0	1	27,505
Hunt County, TX	0.0	1	42,455
Jefferson County, TX	0.0	34	152,720
Kaufman County, TX	0.0	2	83,225
Lamb County, TX	0.0	1	12,710
La Salle County, TX	0.0	2	5,434
Liberty County, TX	0.0	16	47,888
Lubbock County, TX	0.0	1	116,149
McLennan County, TX	0.0	60	127,125
Matagorda County, TX	0.0	7	16,641
Maverick County, TX	0.0	10	23,253
Medina County, TX	0.0	1	21,785
Midland County, TX	0.0	3	99,954
Navarro County, TX	0.0	1	20,682
Ochiltree County, TX	0.0	1	6,215
Pecos County, TX	0.0	5	10,270
Presidio County, TX	0.0	2	4,946
Red River County, TX	0.0	1	5,395
San Jacinto County, TX	0.0	1	19,063
San Patricio County, TX	0.0	9	35,691
Smith County, TX	0.0	6	135,144
Taylor County, TX	0.0	8	76,443
Tom Green County, TX	0.0	5	68,855
Travis County, TX	0.0	6	701,506
Trinity County, TX	0.0	1	11,155
Tyler County, TX	0.0	1	13,484
Upton County, TX	0.0	1	4,010
Uvalde County, TX	0.0	1	17,036
Val Verde County, TX	0.0	9	24,196
Waller County, TX	0.0	6	16,638
Webb County, TX	0.0	24	101,636
Wichita County, TX	0.0	14	61,983
Williamson County, TX	0.0	1	329,307
Zapata County, TX	0.0	3	7,226

Related Databaes

OFF THE GRID: Power Outage TrackerAs severe weather or blizzards threaten, this database scrapes power outage information from more than 1,000 companies nationwide. It will automatically update every 15 minutes.Weather Alerts: Warnings, Watches and AdvisoriesTrack all current severe weather warnings, watches and advisories for Indianapolis, Indiana and other areas in the United States on the interactive weather alerts page. This data is updated every 5 minutes.Rolling Storm Damage ReportsAs storms strike, this interactive map is your guide to impacts and damage reports coming into National Weather Service stations nationwide.A history of twisters: Tornadoes in Florida since 1950sThis interactive map, which contains data from January 1950, pinpoints where a cyclone touched down and traces its path of destruction. For more recent tornadoes, clicking deeper provides more details, damage estimates and whether someone was injured or killed in the storm.Real-time Streamflow Map: River Water Level Current data typically are recorded at 15- to 60-minute intervals.Excessive Rainfall ForecastWeather Prediction Center forecasts the probability that rainfall will exceed flash flood guidance within 25 miles of a point.Maximum Heat Index ForecastMaximum heat index forecast for next 7 days. Updated daily from May 1 through Sept. 30Drought Monitor and HistoryData shows the location and intensity of drought across the country.Wildfire and Smoke TrackerFire data is updated hourly based upon input from incident intelligence sources, GPS data, infrared (IR) imagery from fixed wing and satellite platforms.Wildfire HistorySee a map of wildfires since 2017Air Quality Index (AQI) Forecasts and Current ConditionsThe Air Quality Index (AQI) translates air quality data into numbers and colors that help people understand when to take action to protect their health.Storm Tracker and Model MixerA hurricane watcher's guide to the latest track and model forecasts. This storm tracker contains data from 1851.Weather Data since 1895County-level monthly precipitation and temperature data since 1895 provieded by National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The data is updated every month.

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