Power is on as a Texas meteorologist says a heat wave could cause outages

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During his 3pm weather report on Wednesday, KTRK meteorologist Travis Herzog in Houston stood in front of a screen showing the astronomical high temperature in Texas – up to 105 degrees in College Station.

Herzog explained that “when you have that kind of heat on key populations, you get a huge windfall from that electricity demand.”

But before Herzog said the word “electricity.” the lights went outHerzog becomes a silhouette in front of the weather map.

“Looks like we’ve just gone to generator power; our lights just went out,” Herzog said before going on to talk about the “extreme heat” in some Texas cities.Seconds later, the lights came back on.

But two hours later it happened again. During the 5 p.m. broadcast, the lights went out as Herzog warned of triple-digit temperatures in parts of Texas.

“Maybe it’s just my energizing personality, maybe not,” Herzog said he later tweeted. “But this time I want Ashton Kutcher to come around the corner and say, ‘YOU’RE PUNKED!’ I expected him to say. “

But hey, the show must go on!

To be clear, we are not sure why the power is temporarily out in our building.

I can tell you that network conditions are *really* tight. Hopefully we can make it with the lights and AC ON!

— Travis Herzog (@TravisABC13) July 13, 2022

The unusual moments came as Texas experienced a record-breaking heat wave brings the state’s electricity network to its limits. Texas braced for triple-digit temperatures in many cities last week, prompting state energy officials to urge residents to conserve energy and turn up their thermostats.

Extreme heat hits 110 as Texas power grid nears brink

Concerns about power outages during extreme weather put residents at risk, Texas Tribune informed. In February 2021, 3.5 million Texans lost power amid a record cold snap that saw temperatures drop below freezing in some areas. more 200 people died.

This month is dangerously hot. In Houston, where Herzog works, the temperature reached 105 degrees on Sunday the hottest July day in the city’s history. That day, College Station, north of Houston, reached 111 degrees. second hottest day on record. San Antonio has hit at least 100 degrees on a record 35 days this year.

Dangerously high temperatures are also expected in neighboring states. The Washington Post writes that thanks to climate change nationwide, summers are getting hotter and longer, resulting in wildfires, droughts and floods depending on the region. informed.

Summers in America are getting hotter, longer and more dangerous

Herzog said on Twitter on Wednesday that he wasn’t sure why the lights went out twice during his broadcasts. He explained that the display and other production equipment behind him were connected to a backup power source and therefore did not go off the air.

“I can tell you that network conditions are *really* tight,” Herzog said. “Hopefully we can make it with the lights and AC ON!”