Winter storm leaves tens of thousands in the dark across North Texas as power lines buckle under ice
Power outages spread as winter storm batters region
Nearly 20,000 North Texas residents found themselves without power Sunday afternoon as a massive winter storm coated the region with ice, snapping tree limbs and weighing down power lines.
Oncor, the area’s largest electricity provider, reported 19,561 customers affected by outages as of 4 p.m. Sunday. The impact varied across counties, with Dallas County recording 991 affected customers and Tarrant County logging 568 outages.
But that’s just the local picture. Statewide, the situation appears considerably more dire, with power outages topping 120,000 during storm updates. Rural counties like Nacogdoches have been particularly hard hit, with nearly 13,000 customers there losing electricity. Deep East Texas Electric reported almost 25,000 customers without power.
The winter blast is part of a larger system that has knocked out power to more than 900,000 customers across multiple states, with Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas bearing the brunt of the impact. In Dallas, wind chills plummeted to a bone-chilling 6 degrees.
Preparation meets emergency response
Anticipating trouble, Oncor had activated storm-readiness operations ahead of the system’s arrival. The utility increased response teams to handle the expected outages, concerned particularly about ice-coated branches and power lines.
“Customers can also sign up for MyOncor alerts by texting REG to 66267 and we will send them personalized notifications… about outage impacts to their specific address,” said Andrew Clark, an Oncor spokesperson. He also urged residents to “put together a family emergency plan, as well as storm safety kit, blankets, bottled water… flashlights, just in case you need to withstand an extended time without power.”
The physics behind the outages is daunting. A quarter-inch of ice can add up to 500 pounds of additional weight to power lines, causing them to sag dangerously or snap completely. Despite the widespread outages, officials confirmed the ERCOT grid remains stable with sufficient reserves.
Human impact amid freezing conditions
What happens when a winter emergency meets a medical one? In Plano, first responders faced exactly that scenario when they encountered a pregnant woman in active labor whose car was completely frozen shut.
“You’re not expecting a pregnancy emergency, the kind of emergency that ends well but didn’t start that way,” a Plano Fire and EMS responder explained. “We were expecting but not…. Their car was frozen shut. The contractions got stronger.”
Emergency crews throughout the region have been working overtime, responding to everything from traffic accidents on ice-slicked roads to welfare checks on vulnerable residents without heat.
For many Texans, the storm brings back uncomfortable memories of the February 2021 power crisis that left millions without electricity for days in freezing temperatures. That said, energy officials insist the grid is better prepared this time around, with weatherization improvements implemented after the previous disaster.
As temperatures remain below freezing, residents without power face a difficult night ahead — a stark reminder of nature’s power to disrupt even the most essential services of modern life.
