Forecasts converge on freezing precipitation
and accumulation
Approximately 1,200 additional mutual aid
workers will arrive by Monday
to support potential restoration
efforts
National Weather Service issued Winter Storm
Watch for the entire region
ERCOT Weather Watch issued for January 20 – 23 due to extreme cold weather
across its region
CenterPoint customers urged to be weather
alert and have a plan to stay safe and warm through freezing
temperatures
HOUSTON, Jan. 18,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As weather models and forecasts
for next week begin to converge, confidence is increasing in the
potential for significant wintry precipitation and accumulation
impacting the Greater Houston area
starting Monday evening and continuing into next week. CenterPoint
Energy continues to execute the company's cold weather readiness
plan and is actively monitoring the evolving forecasts. CenterPoint
has secured an additional 1,200 mutual aid workers who will arrive
Monday. The company is also standing up three staging sites and
pre-positioning crews to support potential restoration efforts.
Forecasts continue to align on a range of potential scenarios
early next week across the Greater
Houston area, with most models anticipating a sharp drop in
temperatures and freezing precipitation overnight on Monday and
through Tuesday afternoon. CenterPoint's Emergency Preparedness and
Response, Meteorology and Operations teams remain on alert and are
utilizing in-house and third-party weather modeling and historical
data from previous weather events to plan for all potential impacts
to CenterPoint's system.
In preparation for the mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain
anticipated to impact the region, the National Weather Service
has now issued a Winter Storm Watch for Southeast Texas beginning at 6:00 p.m. Monday through 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. On Friday, ERCOT issued a
Weather Watch for Jan. 20 through Jan.
23 due to extreme cold weather across the ERCOT region,
higher electrical demand and the potential for lower reserves. At
this time, according to ERCOT, grid conditions are expected to be
normal, but CenterPoint teams remain ready to respond if that
should change.
"Our CenterPoint teams have already executed numerous cold
weather preparations from our winter readiness plan and we will
continue to diligently monitor the weather and our systems as we
stand up these staging sites and begin onboarding the approximately
1,200 mutual assistance workers who've answered the call to support
potential restoration efforts. We have plans in place and are
stationing crews across the communities we serve so our teams can
handle any service issues safely and as quickly as possible. We
urge our customers to stay weather alert, have an emergency plan in
place and take steps now to prepare," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of
CenterPoint's Electric Business.
Cold weather preparations
The company has a cold
weather action plan in place and has performed a series of
proactive pre-winter preparedness actions to strengthen and
winterize its infrastructure across Texas, including inspecting and testing
cold-weather critical equipment. In addition to requesting an
additional 1,200 mutual aid resources to assist with restoration
efforts, CenterPoint is also deploying cold weather mitigations
across its electric and gas infrastructure, coordinating with
relevant local emergency responders and government officials and
making plans to mobilize emergency response resources.
2025 Winter Energy Guide
CenterPoint recently launched
its Winter Energy Guide, a comprehensive online resource hub that
helps customers throughout the winter heating season. The guide
features practical and important safety, energy savings and bill
management tips to help customers stay safe and warm throughout the
winter season. To learn more, visit
CenterPointEnergy.com/ReadyforWinter.
Safety reminders
CenterPoint reminds customers to stay
safe during and after winter storms:
- Downed power lines: Stay at least 35 feet away from
downed power lines and report them to CenterPoint at 713-207-2222.
Be especially mindful of downed lines that could be hidden and
treat all downed lines as if they are energized.
- Work crew safety: Be cautious around work crews and give
them plenty of room to safely assess damage and make repairs.
- Portable generators: Only use a portable generator in a
well-ventilated area and never run it inside or in a garage to
avoid carbon monoxide (CO) fumes, which can be deadly.
- Use space heaters safely: Make sure space heaters have
an automatic shut-off, and keep children, pets and all items at
least three feet away from it. A space heater that uses natural
gas, propane or wood should be vented to the outside. Stoves and
ovens should never be used for space heating.
- Electric system safety: Never connect a portable
electric generator directly to a building's electrical system
during a power outage; electricity could back-feed into the power
lines, potentially endangering CenterPoint workers.
- Preserving food during outages: Avoid opening freezers
and refrigerators during outages to preserve food.
- Natural gas safety: Natural gas is odorized with a
distinctive, strong odor, often compared to rotten eggs or sulfur.
If a natural gas odor is detected inside a home or building, leave
immediately on foot. Do not use electric switches, telephones
(including cell phones), or anything that could cause a spark. Once
in a safe location, call both CenterPoint Energy and 911. Do not
use email or the Internet to report the leak and never attempt to
repair a natural gas leak yourself—leave all repairs to trained
technicians. For leaks outside, leave the area on foot and move in
an upwind direction away from the leak or vapor cloud to a location
where the smell of gas is no longer present. Warn others to stay
away from the leak and abandon any equipment being used in or near
the area. Once in a safe location, call both CenterPoint Energy and
911 to report the leak.
- Know the signs of CO poisoning: Early symptoms such as
headache and fatigue are similar to the flu, but without a fever.
Continued CO exposure can lead to more severe headaches, dizziness,
nausea, difficulty thinking clearly and fainting. If everyone in a
household is experiencing these symptoms, it could be CO poisoning.
If symptoms suggest CO poisoning, leave the area immediately, get
fresh air and call 911.
- Gas meter maintenance: Remove large icicles hanging over
meter assemblies and appliance vents. Use a broom – not a shovel –
to clear snow from the meter. If the gas meter is encased in ice,
do not attempt to melt and/or chip the ice, as this could cause
damage to the meter. Allow the ice to melt on its own.
- Call before digging: Call 811 to locate utility lines
prior to digging on a property.
Electric customers encouraged to enroll in Power Alert
Service® and follow CenterPoint Texas X account
While CenterPoint continues to provide information around this
weather event, including issuing preparedness communications to
critical care customers, the company also encourages all electric
customers to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to
receive winter storm outage details, estimated restoration times
and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or
email.
Customers can also follow @CenterPoint_TX to receive the most
up-to-date information on the company's operations in the
Greater Houston area and across
Texas.
For the latest weather information for the Greater Houston area, see updates from the
National Weather Service Forecast Office in Houston/Galveston at www.weather.gov/hgx.
For more information, contact
Communications
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com
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SOURCE CenterPoint Energy