Austin live weather updates: ERCOT asks Texans to conserve power Monday morning

An arctic cold front has arrived in Central Texas.

A winter weather advisory is in effect in the Austin-San Antonio region from noon Sunday to noon Monday, according to the National Weather Service. A hard freeze warning and a wind chill advisory are in effect for the region through 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, tasked with operating the state's power grid, has said it expects the grid to function normally, though city and county leaders and energy experts have warned of the possibility of outages caused by extreme conditions. In the winter storm of 2021, 4 million Texans were left without power after nearly half of the state's generation capacity was knocked offline because of frozen equipment and other weather-related problems across the system.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson on Thursday recommended residents sign up for Warn Central Texas alerts.

Many Monday flights cancelled at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

At least 24 outbound flights from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport show as cancelled Monday before noon, according to FlightRadar24. Another 11 inbound flights to ABIA appear as cancelled through noon Monday, per FlightRadar 24. Check with your carrier before leaving for the airport and if your flight is not cancelled, give yourself at least two hours before departure to reach your gate with dangerous conditions expected on the roadways. The Texas Department of Transportation has a travel times map and cameras to help plan your trip.

CapMetro service adjusted for Monday

Due to the weather, all CapMetro services will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, the transportation authority said on X, formerly Twitter.

It will operate Saturday-level service in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and CapMetro Rail will not operate.

Austin, Travis County, Williamson County open Emergency Operations Centers

The Austin-Travis County Emergency Operations Center was activated Sunday afternoon due to worsening weather conditions. The center brings together city departments and regional partners to coordinate and prepare for any potential emergency.

The center activated this year earlier than it might have in the past after learning from the events of past winter storms, said Ken Snipes, director of the city's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Williamson County has also opened its Emergency Operations Center, staffed with personnel from various law enforcement and emergency departments.

Williamson County’s Road and Bridge Division will be checking pavement temperatures and possible icing throughout the night, prioritizing elevated surfaces such as bridges and overpasses, the county said in a news release. Crews are on call to treat county roads and bridges with sand and de-icing material.

In the event of a freeze, the surface of raised roads, such as bridges, is more prone to icing, particularly with frigid wind chills.

In case of power outages, the Williamson County sheriff’s office will open the doors of its headquarters, 508 Rock St. in Georgetown, as a warming and charging station for those without power. That warming and charging station will remain open as long as it is needed.

Williamson County EMS is fully staffed and has an additional truck working overnight in the northern part of the county.

Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell asked residents to use space heaters with caution to reduce the risk of house fires.

He said thermostats will be lowered by four degrees in unoccupied Williamson County offices and encouraged residents to do the same.

As freezing rain approaches, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson asks residents to stay off roads

In a news conference Sunday evening, Watson urged residents to “stay indoors if you can” as the chance of freezing rain approaches.

Workers with the Texas Department of Transportation, the city of Austin and Travis County have pretreated roads to help prevent ice from forming.

Despite that preparation, Watson advised residents to stay off the roads.

“We want everybody to be safe, and we can’t anticipate everything that might happen in that regard,” Watson said.

He added that ERCOT has not indicated to the city of Austin that rolling blackouts are needed to conserve power.

ERCOT asks Texans to conserve electricity use Monday morning as it expects high demand

ERCOT is asking Texans to conserve electricity use, if safe to do so, from 6 to 10 a.m. Monday.

Operating reserves for the Texas power grid are expected to be low Monday morning before sunrise due to “freezing temperatures, very high demand and unseasonably low wind,” the Public Utility Commission of Texas said in a news release late Sunday afternoon.

ERCOT is expecting similar conditions on Tuesday.

The grid operator is not experiencing emergency conditions at this time, the news release said. If you are experiencing an outage, it is local in nature and not related to overall grid reliability. Residents should check with their local electricity provider for more information.

ERCOT will communicate further if emergency operations are necessary, the news release said.

The Public Utility Commission, which oversees ERCOT, recommends taking these steps to conserve energy in cold weather:

• Set your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower. Every degree of extra heating will increase energy usage by 6% to 8%.

• Dress warmly.

• Use more blankets at night.

• Set ceiling fans on reverse to recirculate the heat that builds up near the ceiling.

• Cover windows on winter nights with insulated curtains.

• Open interior blinds, drapes or shades during the day to let the sun warm your home during cooler months.

Austin Energy reports power outages

After subfreezing temperatures set in early Sunday, Austin Energy is reporting some power outages.

Austin Energy said 99.99% of its customers had power as of 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the utility's outage map.

More: Track outages from arctic blast in Central Texas. See Texas power outage map.

The utility says 51 customers have no power. The outage map shows seven active outages in the Austin area.

Customers who do not have power, but are not showing up on the outage map, should call Austin Energy at: 512-322-9100.

Austin-area weather forecast as of Sunday evening

Hard freezes are likely Sunday through Tuesday nights, ending late Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service Office of Austin-San Antonio.

Prolonged periods of subfreezing temperatures, as low as 10 to 15 degrees, are expected. Temperatures may remain below freezing through Wednesday morning across the Hill Country and northern Austin metro area.

The weather service reported a chance of light freezing rain Sunday evening through Monday morning for all locations in the region outside of the Rio Grande Plains.

Wind chill values are projected between zero and 10 degrees through Wednesday morning, mainly during the overnight and morning hours. Wind chills may dip below zero degrees across portions of the Hill Country and surrounding areas on Tuesday morning, and a wind chill warning may be needed.

Ice accumulations up to a tenth of an inch are possible, mainly on bridges, overpasses and elevated surfaces.

Those who don't take proper precautions are at risk for hypothermia and frostbite Sunday night through Wednesday morning, the weather service said.

Medical professionals recommend people stay home in icy conditions, as those conditions could cause car wrecks and falls. If you plan to go outside, they recommend taking a fully charged phone with you, wearing layers and covering your feet, hands and face.

How to help people experiencing homelessness during freeze

The Austin Winter Collaborative Effort, a coalition of organizations, is collecting donations and seeking volunteers to support people experiencing homelessness.

Sign up here to volunteer as a driver to distribute supplies and food or transport people to shelters, or to complete other tasks, such as volunteering at shelters or sorting donations.

The group is also seeking donations of these items:

• Gloves

• Heavy coats

• Handwarmers

• Blankets, including electric ones

• Hats

• Pants

• Sleeping bags

• Additional warm gear and supplies

• First-aid kits

• Nonperishable food items

• Water

Donations will be collected at these days, times and locations:

• Until 3 p.m. Sunday at Black Mamas Village, 8401 N. Interstate 35

• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Monday at Hungry Hill, 1189 Springdale Road

• 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Tuesday at Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center, 4430 Menchaca Road

ERCOT, Texas electric grid operator, issues weather watch through Wednesday

ERCOT on Sunday morning issued a weather watch that is in effect through Wednesday "due to extreme cold weather across the ERCOT region, higher electrical demand, and the potential for lower reserves."

Under an ERCOT weather watch, grid conditions are still considered to be "normal." Texans can monitor grid conditions and power supply and demand at ercot.com.

Austin offers warming centers, cold weather shelters

A list of warming centers is available on the Texas Division of Emergency Management website at tdem.texas.gov/warm.

The city of Austin will keep cold weather shelters open for people experiencing homelessness at least through Tuesday morning.

Registration for shelter will occur between 5 and 8 p.m. each day at One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road. The center will act as the "central embarkation point" for people seeking an overnight shelter, the city said in a news release.

More: Where will thousands of people experiencing homelessness in Austin go during winter freeze?

People can take Capital Metro buses on route Nos. 1, 7, 10, 20, 30, 105 and 142 and Rapid Route 801 to One Texas Center to register for a spot in a shelter. Anyone seeking cold weather shelters who is not able to pay the bus fare will still be given a ride.

CapMetro will take people who have registered from One Texas Center to a cold weather shelter.

The Austin Public Library system will open three of its locations as warming centers from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday:

• Little Walnut Creek Branch, 835 W. Rundberg Lane

• Ruiz Branch, 1600 Grove Blvd.

• Terrazas Branch, 1105 E. César Chávez St.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin live weather updates: ERCOT asks Texans to conserve power Monday