Frigid fahrenheit What can Texans expect during winter ’22-’23?

By Amitha Nair | Staff Writer

Blazing winds, sweltering cold, power outages — what can Texans expect from winter this year? Recently, winters have increased in severity, resulting in electricity outages and showing the Texas power grid’s vulnerability.

Texas is known for its quickly changing weather, with temperatures ranging from winter to summer levels in less than 24 hours. But this winter, Texans should expect temperatures to fall still looking forward to the cold temperatures during the winter of 2022. into the low 20s, according to the National Weather Service.

For senior Lauren Li, cool tempratures offer a great change from the almost yearround heat Texas receives. And junior Yalda Haghighat said she loves the freezing temperatures throughout Texas’s winter.

AP environmental science teacher Jessie Crowley teaches her students about global warming, which impacts the weather and climate during all seasons.

“The weather we experience day to day, like during our Texas winters, may be harder to predict because of climate change and global warming,” Crowley said.

The 2021 winter storm landed as the top power outage of that year because the power grid struggled to perform under sustained freezing temperatures. Texas has a co-dependent power grid which leads to frequent loss of power and no way to easily transmit electricity to the millions of people across the state.

Residents are taking precautions for the winter by limiting their electricity and natural gas usage, as advised by the Texas government. But there have not been any significant changes to strengthen the grid, according to The Texas Tribune.

Last winter, freshman Zoee Shepherd’s family was among the millions of Texans to lose their electricity during the storm.

Freshman Avery McGowan’s pipes burst, flooding her room and taking months to be fixed.

Although frigid temperatures brought catastrophic effects last winter, some students are