Save for the property-damaging hail storms that hit North Texas earlier this week, our region escaped the suffocating summer weather that southern areas in the state are feeling now. But this might not last long.
Despite more storms and showers heading to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, starting on Thursday, the National Weather Service forecasts three-digit temperatures coming our way and ERCOT is preparing for the high demand.
A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for Collin and neighboring counties until 4 p.m. this evening. But the rain and hail will do little to ease the heat that’s moving from the Laredo and San Antonio areas to the northeast. According to CW33, Texas will be the hottest state in the country with temperatures in the 100s up until Monday, although if the pattern continues, heat alerts could last between 7 to 10 days.
On June 13, ERCOT issued its first-ever weather watch, a notification service that’s part of the state’s power grid operator’s Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS). The new service notifies residents ahead of periods of higher demand and is a tool that provides information to the public about grid conditions.
An ERCOT spokesperson told Local Profile that the 6-day supply and demand dashboard “shows in real-time the forecasted demand and our committed capacity.” Earlier this week, the 6-day forecast showed we were set to break a new record of demand in the coming days, “however, these numbers will continue to fluctuate as weather forecasts, generation resources, etc. change throughout the day and the week ahead.”
According to ERCOT, the summer of 2022 broke 11 peak demand records, with the current record set in July at 80,148 MWs. For context, 1 MW powers close to 200 homes during the summer.
Pablo Vegas, ERCOT President and CEO told KHOU-11 the weather watch doesn’t mean the grid’s capability is compromised. “Grid conditions are normal when we issue a Weather Watch. ERCOT continues to monitor conditions closely and will deploy all available tools to manage the grid and will continue our reliability-first approach to operations, always prioritizing grid reliability.”
This means that while your electricity bill might suffer from the heat after this week, you won’t need to.
