© InstagramSnow covers Corpus Christi in Texas on December 8 2017. First time in 13 years
Bitter cold across Texas brought a new winter record for peak electricity use, ERCOT, the state's independent electric grid operator announced Wednesday morning.
At one point, Texans were using 65,731 megawatts, blowing past the previous record by nearly 5 percent. Multiple records were set overnight as temperatures plunged statewide, but the new peak arrived between 7 and 8 a.m.
The peak use was significantly higher than the Electric Reliability Council of Texas'
projection of 61,068 megawatts for a peak this winter. It fell short of the "extreme" peak projection by just 1,044 megawatts.
Overnight, the Dallas area recorded a low of 13 degrees, well below the average low of 34. While frigid, that was still far from the record low of 2 degrees in 1930.
Comment: See also: Over a meter of snow dumps on the Alps in 72 hours, with another meter forecast over next 3 days