Energy Central-News Article

Over 150,000 Austin Energy customers are still without power as of Thursday morning, while the utility company expects full restoration by Friday at 6 p.m., a spokesperson said.

"The weather is going to improve today and tomorrow," said Austin Energy spokesperson Matt Mitchell. "So we anticipate that all customers will be restored by tomorrow."

Outages began yesterday after the most significant round of ice during this winter storm hit, causing tree limbs to be weighed down and snap. While weather conditions are expected to improve Thursday, additional freezing rain could cause a light amount of ice to build up, resulting in more outages.

Mitchell said as crews fix one outage, another limb will snap and break a power line, causing more outages.

"That's been the really frustrating thing about this entire event, is that just when you have one fix in place, it seems down the line there's another one," he said.

Austin Energy tweeted that it was able to restore power to some overnight, but other outages continues to occur. While lightning and thunder concerns were making it difficult for crews to work.

As of 6 a.m., over 152,000 Austin Energy customers were without power, caused by 1,183 active outages affecting about 29% of customers.

Thousands of Pedernales Electric Cooperative customers in Central Texas and the Hill Country are also without power.

Winter weather:Frozen trees, icy roads and power outages: See the damage across Austin during winter storm

Austin was hit harder than other parts of the state by power outages, which Mitchell said is likely a result of two things: being in the "sweet spot" for heavy icing potential, along with the city's heavy tree canopy. He added that this is the city's most significant widespread outage event since the 2021 freeze which caused nearly 220,000 outages.

"This is remarkable even for us, winter storms are not uncommon, but winter storms of this particular set of characteristics is somewhat unique," he said.

Mitchell said on Wednesday crews are dispatched and working to restore power as quickly as possible. He added that each outage is unique, and some repairs will take longer than others, especially as treacherous road conditions make it harder to navigate the city.

What to do if you lose power

If you do lose power, follow this advice from Mitchell: don't panic, stay inside, keep all windows and doors closed, unplug major appliances and heaters, layer up, grab some blankets and wait for the power to be restored.

In addition, do not use stoves, ovens or portable grills to heat your home, as it can cause carbon monoxide poisoning that can result in hospitalization or death. If you have a generator, be sure it's in a well-ventilated area before using it.

More: Affected by the Austin Texas power outages? Here's what you can do to stay safe

While many in the region may be having flashbacks to Winter Storm Uri which caused massive power outages for days, this storm is not predicted to be that bad, and Mitchell said power will be restored as the weather warms over the next 24 hours.

"We as utility understand those memories are still very fresh," Mitchell said. "This is not that. Our crews are in place, we are executing a plan, and we will safely and quickly restore power."

Also, he added that if you see a downed power line or branches caught up in power lines, to stay away and not touch them, as the wires could be live.

Meanwhile, as of 5:50 a.m. the electrical power grid reports that there is plenty of power and it is operating within normal conditions.

Winter weather:Austin live weather updates: Thousands lose power as significant ice hits region

Austin power outages reported Thursday

Here's a timeline of outages throughout Austin, Central Texas and the state:

8:19 a.m.: 28% of Austin Energy customers are without power, caused by 1,215 active outages affecting roughly 153,147 customers.
As of 6 a.m., over 152,000 Austin Energy customers were without power, caused by 1,183 active outages affecting about 29% of customers.

See map of Austin, Texas, power outages

Austin power outages reported all day Wednesday

Here's a timeline of outages throughout Austin, Central Texas and the state:

6:00 p.m.: 28.7% of Austin Energy customers are without power, caused by 876 active outages affecting roughly 155,850 customers.
3:03 p.m.: 31.5% of Austin Energy customers are without power, caused by 776 active outages affecting roughly 171,095 customers.
1:47 p.m.: 29% of Austin Energy customers are without power, caused by 734 active outages affecting roughly 160,869 customers.
12:04 p.m.: 27% of Austin Energy customers are without power, caused by 640 active outages affecting roughly 146,600 customers.
10:30 a.m.: Nearly 146,000 Austin Energy customers are without power, caused by 549 active outages affecting nearly 27% of customers.
8:45 a.m.: Oncor reports 16,127 customers in Williamson County, 6,446 in Travis County and 1,054 in Bastrop County are without power.
8:10 a.m.: 125,000 customers are without power, as 422 active outages cause nearly 24% of Austin Energy customers to lose power. Meanwhile, nearly 3,100 Pedernales customers in Williamson and western Travis County are without power.
7:40 a.m.: 21% of Austin Energy customers are without power as a result of 367 outages, affecting over 113,000. Nearly 11,000 Pedernales customers and over 240,000 across the state are also without power.
6:36 a.m.: 294 active outages resulting in nearly 85,000 Austin Energy customers being without power. Across the region, over 6,000 Pedernales customers are without power, while 197,000 in the state don't have power.
6:18 a.m.: Over 73,000 Austin Energy customers are without power as a result of 256 active outages affecting 86% of customers.
6:00 a.m.: The number of Austin Energy customers without power continues to increase, as 204 outages are causing nearly 67,000 customers to be without power.
5:50 a.m.: Across Texas, about 161,500 customers are without power.
5:43 a.m.: Over 56,000 Austin Energy customers are without power due to nearly 190 outages across the region affecting 89% of customers.
5:43 a.m.: Nearly 2,900 Pedernales customers from Round Rock to Kyle to San Marcos to Dripping Springs are without power.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Energy reports 150K+ still without power; restoration expected by 6 p.m. Friday