In anticipation of unseasonably high temperatures, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a Weather Watch for this Wednesday, May 8th. ERCOT officials, however, also maintain that grid conditions will be normal.
This begs the question: why issue a Weather Watch if grid conditions are expected to be normal? As per the agency, an ERCOT Weather Watch serves as an early alert for anticipated severe weather conditions that could lead to increased electricity demand and a possible decrease in reserves.
“At this time, grid conditions are expected to be normal, and there is no current expectation of an energy emergency,” ERCOT stated.
As such the public need not take any action to reduce their energy consumption.
ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch for Wednesday, May 8, due to unseasonably high temperatures, high levels of expected maintenance outages during the spring shoulder months, and the potential for lower reserves. Grid conditions are expected to be normal during a Weather Watch and… pic.twitter.com/oEF8frs0Ap
— ERCOT (@ERCOT_ISO) May 7, 2024
The last time that ERCOT issued a Weather Watch was earlier this January which it followed with a Conservation Appeal due to freezing temperatures, “record-breaking demand,” and “unseasonably low wind”.
Unlike the Weather Watch, the Conservation Appeal requests the public and Texas businesses to conserve electricity use.
According to The Weather Channel, Houston will experience partly cloudy and partly sunny skies today with a high of 89 degrees.
Looking ahead, the Farmer’s Almanac predicts that summer will be hot, muggy, and rainy in the month of August. The summer’s hottest temperatures will occur late June, late July, and mid-August. This past year, Houston recorded its hottest summer on record with 45 days of 100-degree-plus temperatures.