Weather

The Texas blackout is a reminder that climate-driven extreme weather stresses the U.S.'s power system in many ways. Much is needed to harden the grid for the future as the number of outages increase.

Some people in Texas have been shocked by the high bills they received after last week's power outages. But even families who haven't seen high bills may wind up paying for this crisis over time.

Across the country, coal plants are shutting down. Wind turbines are going up. But the transition can be rocky. In North Dakota, some officials are trying to defend coal by blocking new wind turbines.

Last week's deep winter freeze exposed a series of inequities. Among them, communities of color in Houston face unique challenges recovering from the storm after already being hit hardest by COVID-19.

Cristian Pavon died last Tuesday when the local temperature was 12 degrees, according to a relative who set up a fundraising page for his family.

The figure is a sharp drop from the weekend – but it's still roughly comparable to the entire populations of states such as Virginia or New Jersey.

Texans who managed to keep the lights on during the winter storm are getting sky-high electric bills, the product of a deregulated industry that allows power companies to charge variable rates.

What began as a call for donations to help Texas residents hurt by the storm grew into millions of dollars that will go to several local charities. Ocasio-Cortez visited a Houston food bank Saturday.

Millions of Texas residents have no water, or if they do, are required to boil it before using it. It comes after days of power outages and freezing weather across the state.

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with professor Gretchen Bakke about the fragility of the U.S. power grid that were made evident amid a winter storm in Texas earlier this week.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, took an ill-timed trip this week. Also, President Biden assured global national security officials the U.S. wants to strengthen international ties.

Austin Water says service should resume over the weekend, but pressure could be low. The boil-water notice continues. Using washing machines and dishwashers is discouraged.