OT: Polar Vortex hitting on Valentine's Day

[utep2step]

This beast is nasty.

Has the polar vortex arrived? What is it? | EarthSky.org

The polar vortex is an enormous, 3-dimensional ring of winds that surrounds the North and South poles during each hemisphere’s winter. The polar vortex influences the jet stream, which can bring cold winter weather to the U.S. and Europe.

earthsky.org

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[NoNCAAWinsSince1992]

Thanks for the heads up guys! I am glad I check MinerDigs to get weather updates. Nowhere else to find this information.

 

[utep2step]

Thanks for the heads up guys! I am glad I check MinerDigs to get weather updates. Nowhere else to find this information.

You're welcome, Grimace boy.

I like to come on here to check what bullcrap NMSU (allegdledly claimed) fans are spewing out.

 

[FarWestTexas]

Thanks for the heads up guys! I am glad I check MinerDigs to get weather updates. Nowhere else to find this information.

Don’t forget to check out the COVID thread!

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[NoNCAAWinsSince1992]

Don’t forget to check out the COVID thread!

And the thread about the Juarez soccer team that has turned into an any news about Mexico thread!

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[utep2step]

And the thread about the Juarez soccer team that has turned into an any news about Mexico thread!

 

[JCorona]

Anyone else left without power? It went out around 2am and hasn't comeback. House is getting cold. It's 7 degrees where I'm at.

 

[Minerinciter]

Anyone else left without power? It went out around 2am and hasn't comeback. House is getting cold. It's 7 degrees where I'm at.

 

[utep2step]

Dear local weather. This was not a blizzard. There was wind in some areas mixed with rain and snow.

https://www.ktsm.com/sports/local-sports/el-paso-marathon-continues-despite-sun-city-blizzard/

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[utep2step]

Anyone else left without power? It went out around 2am and hasn't comeback. House is getting cold. It's 7 degrees where I'm at.

 

[unihorn]

At least EL Paso Electric hasn’t crashed this time.

 

[utep2step]

At least EL Paso Electric hasn’t crashed this time.

It's not on the "Texas grid".

Corona, this is what happened (as per Texas Tibune):

"2 million Texas households are without power

• Texas cities open emergency shelters
• State sending extra resources to help across Texas

The state’s electric grid operator lost control of the power supply Monday morning as 2 million Texas households didn't have heat or other electric appliances working at home as a massive winter storm delivered freezing temperatures across the state.

When the state’s grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, began implementing rolling blackouts at 1:25 a.m. Monday, the outages were intended to be implemented on a rolling basis — up to 45 minutes per affected area, according to the ERCOT.

Instead, some Texans in Austin, Houston and other cities were without power into Monday afternoon and all morning since even before ERCOT called for the rolling blackouts. And some companies that deliver electricity to households and businesses have told customers to expect to be without power through at least the end of the day as they work to restore power generating units that went offline during the storm."

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/15/rolling-blackouts-texas/

 

[utep2step]

And in case you're wondering "why not El Paso? ". Here is why:

"Basically, Texas has its own grid to avoid dealing with — you guessed it — the feds"

https://www.texastribune.org/2011/02/08/texplainer-why-does-texas-have-its-own-power-grid/

"The contiguous United States’ electrical power grid is separated into three parts: Two make up the Eastern Interconnection and the Western Interconnection, and their grids power both sides of the lower 48 states. "

"The power grid doesn’t actually cover the entire state, Magness said. ERCOT manages about 75% of Texas’ land area and powers roughly 90% of its residents. Not included are El Paso, parts of northeast Texas (Longview, Marshall and Texarkana) and parts of southeast Texas (Beaumont, Port Arthur and The Woodlands). "

https://mwlawfirm.com/2020/08/texas-own-power-grid/

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[unihorn]

It's not on the "Texas grid".

Corona, this is what happened (as per Texas Tibune):

"2 million Texas households are without power

• Texas cities open emergency shelters
• State sending extra resources to help across Texas

The state’s electric grid operator lost control of the power supply Monday morning as 2 million Texas households didn't have heat or other electric appliances working at home as a massive winter storm delivered freezing temperatures across the state.

When the state’s grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, began implementing rolling blackouts at 1:25 a.m. Monday, the outages were intended to be implemented on a rolling basis — up to 45 minutes per affected area, according to the ERCOT.

Instead, some Texans in Austin, Houston and other cities were without power into Monday afternoon and all morning since even before ERCOT called for the rolling blackouts. And some companies that deliver electricity to households and businesses have told customers to expect to be without power through at least the end of the day as they work to restore power generating units that went offline during the storm."

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/15/rolling-blackouts-texas/

Right, but EPE’s old gas-fired generation plant froze and broke during our last big freeze here.

 

[JCorona]

Still without power. 16+ hours and without water for about 6 hours.

 

[unihorn]

Still without power. 16+ hours and without water for about 6 hours.

Damn — stay safe.

 

[utep2step]

Right, but EPE’s old gas-fired generation plant froze and broke during our last big freeze here.

Yeah. That sucked.

Texas and Corona, be safe.

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[JCorona]

Survived another night without utilities. All hotels around us are booked if not we would have stayed there.

 

[unihorn]

Survived another night without utilities. All hotels around us are booked if not we would have stayed there.

Corona, next time the electricity bill is due, tell them mfs it’s a ROLLING payment.

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[FeralFelidae]

At least most of you don't have a foot of snow to shovel off your driveway.

 

[STexMiner]

I live in a Houston suburb, and somehow some way, I haven't lost power for a minute. It's not like I live on a grid with a hospital or fire station either. Just extremely lucky.

 

[utep2step]

I live in a Houston suburb, and somehow some way, I haven't lost power for a minute. It's not like I live on a grid with a hospital or fire station either. Just extremely lucky.

Wow, you are. The rolling blackouts in El Paso years ago from the freeze didn't hit my home as well. Come later Mrs. 2step found out we were on the county hospital grid.

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[MinerManiac]

I live in San Antonio, but am currently 30 minutes north staying in a hotel in New Braunfels. My power went out sometime around 2 AM Monday morning and didn't come back on until almost 3 PM on Tuesday. Since then power has been on for a few hours, off for more hours, on for a few hours ... When power finally came for a little while on Tuesday afternoon the house was well below 50 degrees. We lost water pressure Monday morning, saw it return Monday night, only to lose it again Tuesday morning. It hasn't come back. Before arriving at the hotel this afternoon the last shower we took was Monday afternoon at my son's house when he had power and water. He soon lost both.

A large number of stores and restaurants are closed. Those that are open have incredibly long lines. This is a total failure on the part of ERCOT. Temperatures here will finally start warming up this weekend, hopefully then things will get back to normal - or at least to the way they were before the storm (things haven't been normal across the globe since early last year). I lived through February 2011 in El Paso, with rolling blackouts and concern over the water supply. That was cake compared to this.

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[utep2step]

Judge Hidalgo of Harris County on a national TV News show saying power coming back on but 46,000 still out as of this morning in Houston; however, water is now a big problem and leaders asked those in area to boil if they even have water.

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[JCorona]

I was about to say that I can’t believe it’s been a week and there’s a game tomorrow but that has been moved to Sunday-Monday. A sweep would warm my heart more than getting electricity after 3 days without it.

 

[utep2step]

• ELECTRIC POWER | OIL
• 18 Feb 2021 | 20:54 UTC
• New York

Texas refinery outages mount as cold freeze continues


"In West Texas, Marathon reported to state regulators, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, that its El Paso refinery had process unit shutdowns due to "equipment malfunctions attributed to extreme low temperatures experienced in El Paso." "

Because of the cold, most of Texas' large, sophisticated refineries on the coast stopped normal operations at the request of the power utilities in order to conserve power for consumers struggling to stay warm. Some of them even started sending power to the grid in order to add to generating capacity.

Texas power outages down USGC refining capacity:

Marathon
El Paso
131,000
Partial impact

San Antonio
San Antonio
20,000
Confirmed down

Delek US
Big Spring
73,000
Partial impact

https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/...finery-outages-mount-as-cold-freeze-continues

Texts are floating out of El Paso that gas shortages are coming due to demand in central region of state.

State highway signs are saying there is gas shortage from Van Horn east.

 

[utep2step]

Everyone's girlfriend or wife "...knows someone at Marathon Oil in east central El Paso saying shortages are coming..." is blowing up in El Paso. Stay calm El Paso.

Trading and industry sites are saying there is a 20% cut in supply nationwide (USAToday.com). Prices will go up. There is nothing from EP Marathon other than what is posted above.

 

[Minerinciter]

I was about to say that I can’t believe it’s been a week and there’s a game tomorrow but that has been moved to Sunday-Monday. A sweep would warm my heart more than getting electricity after 3 days without it.