Biggest US Power Grid Gears Up for Arctic Freeze Arriving This Weekend
(Bloomberg) -- The largest US power grids and utilities are preparing for a surge in heating demand as the first of several bouts of Arctic air sweeps into the eastern half of the country this holiday weekend.
Frigid weather is forecast to make repeat appearances into early February, with temperatures across the Midwest and the East Coast set to plunge 15F to 30F (8C to 17C) below normal at times. PJM Interconnection LLC and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator issued alerts to utilities and power generation owners on Friday, urging them to shore up fuel supplies and brace for increased demand beginning early on Monday.
PJM operates the largest grid in the US, coordinating electric transmission across 13 states in the Mid-Atlantic and the East Coast, as well as Washington, DC. MISO serves a broad stretch of the central US, from Louisiana to Minnesota, and includes the Canadian province of Manitoba. Together, they cover a third of the US population.
The Northeast is expected to see some of its coldest temperatures overnight Monday and Tuesday, with near-single-digit lows in the Boston area and temperatures tumbling into the mid-teens in New York. Wind chill will likely make it feel even colder.
The culprit behind the inbound cold is a strong high-pressure ridge channeling winds from the Arctic Circle south. For the next few weeks, repeated pulses of brutal cold will surge into Canada and spill into the central and eastern US, with brief periods of relatively milder weather in between, said Cody Snell, a meteorologist with the US Weather Prediction Center.
Snow is also possible in the coming days across a large swath of the country, with several inches forecast for the Great Lakes region and a dusting of flakes as far south as Alabama and Georgia this weekend, Snell said.
This isn’t the first Arctic blast the US has faced this winter. Previous cold spells have negatively impacted air travel and sent power demand soaring. Lower temperatures can be beneficial for certain sectors: Citrus grower Trevor Murphy said farmers often “welcome some cooler weather to slow down the trees and keep them dormant, as long as temps don’t dip too far for too long.”
But as freezing temperatures set in on Friday in central Florida’s Highlands County, where Murphy is based, he said growers would likely fire up special irrigation pumps meant to encase crops in a protective layer of ice that manages to keep plants warm by capitalizing on the energy that’s naturally released as water freezes.
Though eastern and midwestern states will be shivering, unseasonable warmth and dry weather have set in across parts of the West. An early-winter snow drought has stressed Vail Resorts Inc., which operates ski areas stretching from the Rockies to Lake Tahoe. If the drought persists, it could raise concerns about California’s water supplies in the coming months.
The dry, warm start to winter has also created dangerous wildfire conditions: Red flag fire warnings were in effect Friday across parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. In the area around Fort Collins, Colorado, utility Xcel Energy announced plans to cut power to about 9,000 customers beginning on Friday morning, citing high winds and rock-bottom humidity that could allow any spark to spread quickly.
The power won’t be turned back on until weather conditions improve, the company said in an advisory Friday, and it could take hours or days to do so as crews inspect power lines for damage.
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