Texas’s power grid has withstood Winter Storm Fern’s icy grip, with outages steadily decreasing since peaking above 150,000 on Sunday, primarily affecting the state’s northeastern regions.
As of Monday noon, approximately 61,000 customers remained without electricity, a significant improvement from the more than 130,000 reported just a day earlier. The vast majority of these outages are concentrated in East Texas counties like Shelby and Nacogdoches, according to power company reports.
Grid Stability Maintained Despite Freezing Temperatures
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid has remained remarkably stable throughout the winter storm, avoiding the catastrophic failures that left millions without power during the 2021 freeze. “ERCOT officials expected to see power demand close in on power supply by Monday 8 a.m., but the grid held flawlessly,” Governor Greg Abbott stated in a press briefing.
This stability comes despite initial concerns that the storm might push the system to its limits. ERCOT had warned that “power outages may occur during the 2026 winter storm in North Texas,” though they expected the situation to remain manageable unlike the widespread 2021 blackouts.
What helped prevent a larger crisis? One key factor was quick federal intervention. The U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order on Saturday allowing ERCOT to tap backup generators at data centers to prevent blackouts — a measure set to remain in effect until January 27. Secretary Wright formalized this decision on January 25, specifically targeting grid stability during Winter Storm Fern, energy officials confirmed.
Expanded Emergency Response
Governor Abbott has significantly expanded the state’s emergency response, amending his disaster declaration to include 85 additional counties, bringing the total to 219 counties under emergency status. The state has deployed over 10,900 emergency responders to assist affected communities.
“Communities across the state have been impacted by this weekend’s winter weather,” Abbott said in a statement. “I am updating my disaster declaration to include additional counties to help more Texans during these freezing temperatures. Texans should continue to monitor local weather forecasts and road conditions to keep themselves and their families safe.”
The governor also thanked emergency management officials “working around the clock to help Texans across the state recover from this winter storm.”
Still, for thousands of Texans — particularly those in northeastern parts of the state — the improvement in overall numbers offers little comfort as they continue to endure freezing temperatures without electricity. Local utility crews are working to restore service, with most outages now attributed to ice-damaged distribution equipment rather than generation shortfalls.
Unlike the 2021 disaster that left more than 4.5 million Texas homes and businesses without power for days, this week’s storm has tested — but not broken — the state’s power infrastructure, suggesting that at least some of the weatherization and capacity improvements implemented since that crisis may be having their intended effect.
