Power outages across Texas rose into the six figures Sunday as winter weather moved through the state, with the most significant disruptions concentrated in East Texas. State grid operators, however, reported that the electric system itself remained stable, with sufficient power reserves to meet demand.
As of early Sunday afternoon, approximately 96,000 homes and businesses statewide were without power, representing about 0.66% of tracked customers, according to outage tracking data. The peak outage total over the past 72 hours exceeded 134,000 customers, before declining as restoration efforts continued.
East Texas Hit Hardest
Outages were overwhelmingly concentrated in Deep East Texas, where ice accumulation and freezing conditions disrupted local distribution systems.
Counties reporting the highest number of outages included:
- Nacogdoches County: more than 12,000 customers without power
- Cherokee County: more than 10,000 customers without power
- Shelby County: more than 8,500 customers without power
- Sabine County: more than half of customers affected at peak levels
Utilities serving rural and heavily wooded areas reported the largest impacts, with Deep East Texas Electric experiencing outages affecting more than half of its customers at peak levels.
DFW Largely Stable Despite Storm
By contrast, the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex saw relatively limited outages, underscoring the regional nature of the disruptions.
As of 1 p.m. Sunday:
- Dallas County: ~1,010 customers without power (0.09%)
- Tarrant County: ~587 customers without power (0.06%)
- Collin County: ~109 customers without power (0.02%)
- Denton County: ~22 customers without power
In Tarrant County, outage totals had peaked above 8,600 customers over the prior 72 hours before falling sharply as conditions improved.
Grid Conditions Remain Normal
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) reported that the statewide power grid was operating under normal (green) conditions, indicating that generation capacity and reserves remained sufficient throughout the storm.
ERCOT issued a Weather Watch earlier in the week as a precaution, a standard step taken several days ahead of forecasted extreme weather. A Weather Watch does not indicate an emergency and does not trigger controlled outages.
Grid operators said there was no expectation of entering emergency operations, and no rotating outages were ordered.
Why Outages Are Occurring
Utility officials and emergency managers emphasized that most outages were caused by local infrastructure issues, including:
- Ice-laden tree limbs falling onto power lines
- Isolated equipment failures
- Weather-related damage to rural distribution networks
These localized outages differ from a grid-wide supply failure and can occur even when overall power generation remains stable.
Safety and Reporting Guidance
Residents experiencing outages are encouraged to report them directly to their electric provider. Officials also urged Texans to avoid downed power lines and to call 911 if a line is on the ground or poses an immediate hazard.
Outlook
Forecasters expect conditions to improve as temperatures rise, allowing utilities to continue restoration work. While scattered outages may persist in hard-hit areas, state officials said the situation remains fundamentally different from the 2021 winter storm, with no widespread power shortages and no grid instability.
