Central U.S.
Deadly polar vortex: A once-in-a-generation Arctic blast sent temperatures to historic lows across much of the U.S. this week as authorities reported at least 31 dead and millions left without heat or power. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott called the winter storm “unprecedented” in state history as temperatures plunged into the single digits and snow fell as far south as San Antonio. In Dallas, temperatures reached minus 2 degrees. In North Platte, Neb., temperatures went down to minus 29 degrees, and in Hibbing, Minn., minus 38. In Brunswick, N.C., the storm brought on a tornado that killed three people. Researchers cited climate change as a factor in the Arctic blast, noting a weakening of the jet stream that usually keeps polar vortexes from creeping south of the Arctic Circle.
In Texas, 4.1 million people were forced to endure the frigid temperatures without electricity, as the grid failed under overwhelming demand, prompting rolling blackouts stretching past two days. Prices on Texas’ wholesale power market skyrocketed 100-fold. Republicans blamed frozen wind turbines, though only 10 percent of the state’s winter power comes from wind. Two-thirds of the generating capacity lost in Texas came from coal, gas, and nuclear plants not weatherized against the extreme cold, as well as from shortages of natural gas caused by frozen pipes. The combination of blackouts and extreme cold terrified Texans. “I was afraid of not making it through the night,” said Esteban Ramirez, a 19-yearold from Del Rio, who hugged his grandparents and mother on a sofa after they lost power in the night hours.