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Experts said the coming cold would not last as long as the freeze of 2021 but could resemble the conditions in 2022, known as Winter Storm Elliot. Snow and ice were not expected to widely affect the state next week, officials said. Temperatures could reach overnight lows in the single digits in Amarillo and the teens in Austin and Dallas, according to forecasts.
The arrival of a third strong winter storm in four years is unusual. In Houston, if temperatures sink as low as they did at one point last winter, getting into the teens, it would be the first time in decades that the city has seen such frequent bouts of extreme cold, said the state climatologist, John Nielsen-Gammon. At the same time, he added, the state has generally seen an upward trend in the coldest temperature of the year.
Officials have projected confidence. “ERCOT expects to have sufficient supply to meet demand as cold weather affects the state into next week,” said Ellie Breed, a spokeswoman for the state utility commission.
Still, Texans have been preparing. Mark Marrow, 52, a landscaper in Houston, went to a Home Depot early on Thursday to buy supplies. “I did my aunt’s house. I did some customers’ houses,” he said. “The problem is we have so many people who aren’t from here, so they don’t know how to prepare.”
During the 2021 winter weather, Mr. Milton, the food truck owner, said he was able to keep serving despite the grid failures.
“It’s almost embarrassing to say that it was good for business, but honestly, it was,” said Mr. Milton, 41. He said he was ready for something similar next week, just in case. “I don’t have to rely on the energy company for my gas, so I can always rock ’n’ roll.”
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