Cold Wave in the Southern USA: Unusual Winter Onslaught Threatens Energy Production

An icy cold snap in the southern United States could lead to record snowfall in New Orleans and Houston, while also posing a challenge for oil and natural gas production as well as power grids. According to the National Weather Service, Houston could expect a snow cover of up to 10 centimeters by Tuesday, a record high for January. In New Orleans, up to 13 centimeters could fall, which would also set an all-time record. Baton Rouge in Louisiana could even experience a full 18 centimeters of snow. Cold warnings extend from North Dakota to West Texas. Tony Fracasso, senior meteorologist at the US Weather Prediction Center, emphasizes that such a strong snowstorm is unusual for these southern latitudes. Almost all of Texas can expect wintry precipitation. The icy temperatures following the snowfall could temporarily affect oil and natural gas production while simultaneously driving up electricity demand. When the frost reached West Texas on Monday morning, temperatures in Odessa, located in the oil-rich Permian Basin, were about -7 degrees Celsius and were expected to drop further to -9 degrees Celsius overnight. The cold can cause water in boreholes and pipelines to freeze, thereby affecting production. The Texas power grid has issued a warning for Monday and Tuesday that extreme cold conditions could increase the demand for heating energy and potentially strain supply capacities. A peak demand of over 77.2 gigawatts is expected on January 23, according to a forecast by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Although the forecasts fluctuate and temporarily hinted at a test of the winter record of 78.3 gigawatts, Ercot assumes that sufficient supply will be available. The drastically dropping temperatures have also prompted warnings in the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Northeastern US. PJM Interconnection, operator of the largest power grid in the US from Washington DC to Illinois, issued a "Low-Voltage Warning" on Sunday, which remains in effect until Thursday. In Washington, a high temperature of only about -3 degrees Celsius is predicted, with wind chill making it feel even colder. Due to the weather, Amtrak, the state-funded rail operator, has canceled several trains in the western and southern US. More than 430 flights nationwide were canceled and another 1,788 were delayed, according to flight tracking service FlightAware on Monday morning. Fracasso reported that the snowstorm would hit Texas late Monday and reach Louisiana as well as Mississippi and Alabama by Tuesday. By midweek, the snow front could reach the coast of North Carolina and possibly spread to South Virginia before moving further into the Atlantic.