President Biden and First Lady Jill will tour Houston, Texas Friday as residents recover from a cold-snap that left millions without power and heat.
“The president and first lady Jill Biden will arrive around noon central time in the state, and will tour a food bank and emergency operations center. Biden also will visit a COVID-19 vaccination center,” reports the NY Post.
🚨 NEW: @POTUS will travel to Houston, Texas on Friday. #TXlege #TexasStrong https://t.co/ipXKorKTJi
— Emmy Ruiz (@emmyruiz46) February 23, 2021
President Biden and @FLOTUS board AF1, headed to Houston as Texas recovers from a devastating winter storm pic.twitter.com/5ukl0tVpi1
— Mario Parker (@MarioDParker) February 26, 2021
“The trip is one of Biden’s first as president and he will take on the role of comforter in chief after the cold snap plunged Texas residents into misery, with burst water pipes in homes and days without heat or electricity,” adds the newspaper.
Read the full report here.
DEEP FREEZE, TX: 4.3 Million Lose Power, Nearly Half of Lone Star State's Wind Turbines 'Frozen'
Frigid temperatures in typically moderate Texas knocked out power for more than 4.3 million residents this week; keeping countless locals locked up in their homes as roads remain closed across the Lone Star State.
Seriously. That's the dirty little secret as to why power is out while it's 0° or lower in North Texas right now.
Frozen wind turbines..@GregAbbott_TX.https://t.co/lDZjRStJER https://t.co/ceLL8RavMt
— Keith Malinak (Semi-Anarchist) (@KeithMalinak) February 15, 2021
up to 4.3 million https://t.co/QoWQltGcMz
— Joe Bastardi (@BigJoeBastardi) February 16, 2021
Texas closing in on FLA and Irma now
4.33 million total in Irma was 7.5 million, So this winter event now the 2cnd greatest weather hit to US electricity on record— Joe Bastardi (@BigJoeBastardi) February 16, 2021
Over 5.1 million electric customers are without power across the USA. With 4.3 million out in #Texas, as severe winter storms continue to cause significant impacts to the electric grid. Check out https://t.co/8cAFt3zGJe for #PowerOutage information! [2021-02-15 8:40PM EST] pic.twitter.com/x2LXUaTgKz
— PowerOutage.us (@PowerOutage_us) February 16, 2021
#BREAKING: @ERCOT_ISO, the power grid operator in Texas, says about half of the wind turbine capacity (25,000-megawatts) in West Texas is not generating b/c of winter weather.
"As of this morning about half of the wind capacity was iced out," said Dan Woodfin, ERCOT.#txwx
— Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) February 14, 2021
The 4.3 million total is more than Hurricanes Harvey, Laura, Katrina, and Sandy COMBINED as first responders struggle to reach vulnerable citizens.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
FROZEN, USA: Oklahoma City Sees Temps Drop to Minus-14 Degrees, COLDEST SINCE 1899
Thermometers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma dropped to the lowest levels since 1899; plunging to minus-14 degrees Fahrenheit and missing the all-time coldest record by just 2 degrees.
“Oklahoma City recorded its second-coldest temperature on record with a low of minus 14 degrees. Only a minus 17 degree reading in 1899 is colder in the city’s weather records,” reports Weather.com.
RECORD BREAKING COLD:
Oklahoma City, OK, fell to -14°—the coldest since 1899.
Lawton, OK, fell to -12°—an all-time low.
Dallas, TX, fell to -1°—the coldest since 1989.https://t.co/vHUNpMGX3L
— ABC News (@ABC) February 16, 2021
The temperature in Oklahoma City is up to 9F after bottoming out at -14F early Tuesday morning, the lowest temperature in the city since February 12, 1899: https://t.co/8b8YzIl8td pic.twitter.com/K6AdWOhquq
— AccuWeather (@breakingweather) February 16, 2021
Dallas (minus-2) and Houston (12) had their coldest mornings since at least 1989, Oklahoma City (minus-14) since 1899. https://t.co/mzqNScDOE8
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) February 16, 2021
The frigid weather also affected large sections of Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
Read the full report here.