![]() ![]() With this cold air in place, lingering precipitation the following day fell as sleet and freezing rain across the northwestern counties. It all began Wednesday, February 10th when a cold front moved through the area bringing the first surge of cold air into the region. ![]() While the damage is still being assessed, this will likely go down as the first billion dollar disaster of 2021 globally, and potentially the most costly weather disaster for the state of Texas in history, surpassing even Hurricane Harvey from 2017. This was one of the most impactful winter events in recent history that brought multiday road closures, power outages, loss of heat, broken pipes, and other societal impacts for the region. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement, nor with respect to any expression of opinion which may be contained herein. Please be aware that past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.The Winter Outbreak that occurred on Valentine's Week 2021 brought not only snow, sleet, and freezing rain to Southeast Texas, but also extreme cold temperatures that lasted for several days. ![]() Any statements of fact in this email are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor do they purport to be complete. Each investor must carefully consider whether this type of investment is appropriate for them or their company. The risk of loss in trading commodity interest derivatives contracts can be substantial. It likely won’t be the last time we see such chilling temperatures in Texas in our lifetimes, and we need to be ready for the next time.ĭisclaimer: This article contains information related to REsurety and the commodity interest derivatives services and other services that REsurety provides. Extreme events, such as the cold weather crisis of February 2021, can be expected to occur with increasing frequency or severity. While a single meteorological event can’t be directly linked to climate change, current research suggests that climate change-induced warming in the Arctic can increase the chances of Polar Vortex disruptions that lead to southward invasions of frigid polar air. February 2021 is shown (red) within the tail of the distribution. The seven most extreme values from 2011 are shown (blue). ![]() Understanding what drives such extreme winter weather events is critical to deciding how likely they are to happen again, and what we need to do to prepare.įigure 4: Density plot showing the distribution of observed 5-day rolling average Heating Degree Days (black), from 1981 to present. The record-shattering cold combined with several snow and ice storms left millions of people without power. Several long-term weather stations in south-central Texas experienced 5 to 6 consecutive days of new daily temperature records. Temperatures plummeted into the single digits as far south as Texas, a deviation from normal of up to 50℉ (Figure 1). This article was written by Jessica Tomaszewski, PhD, an atmospheric scientist on REsurety's Research team, and is being re-published here.Īn unprecedented winter storm impacted much of the south-central United States from February 10-18, 2021. In this article, we'll look at the event from a different perspective offered by REsurety's Atmospheric Science Research Team to answer: (1) What was the meteorology that brought on the extreme cold weather event? and (2) Can we expect cold weather events like this one to become more frequent? The Texas weather crisis that led to widespread blackouts revealed important lessons for renewable power generators. ![]()
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