Houston freeze live updates: At least six Texas power companies have started to ask customers to conserve power - Houston Chronicle

Dec. 23, 2022Updated: Dec. 23, 2022 8:54 p.m.

Texans assistance animals during prolonged hard freeze

Creatures large and tiny got a helping manus connected Friday arsenic volunteers worked to marque definite they past the arctic blast.

In Houston, much than 100 bats were collected from nether the Waugh Street bridge aft they fell from their roosts. Down connected the coast, volunteers patrolled frigid shorelines looking for cold-stunned turtles.

While astir Texas animals aren't utilized to sub-freezing temperatures, astatine slightest 1 beast seemed to beryllium enjoying itself: a llama astatine the Houston Zoo.

"Our llama Fiesta seemed similar she was having a large clip today," said Kevin Hodge, the zoo's vice president of carnal programs. "She didn't adjacent announcement it was cold."

While each the animals are doing fine, the zoo volition stay closed connected Saturday due to the fact that of the acold weather.

Twitter

— John Wayne Ferguson

Weston Lakes issues boil h2o notice

The Fort Bend County metropolis of Weston Lakes connected Friday nighttime became the latest metropolis to contented a boil h2o announcement due to the fact that of the cold.

The metropolis connected Friday nighttime reported that some its inferior companies, MUD 81 and Aqua Texas, had power-related issues that caused pumps astatine respective locations to spell offline, resulting successful pipes freezing astatine those facilities, according to a quality release.

Crews were moving to hole the problems, according to the statement. The metropolis expected afloat work to beryllium restored connected Friday night.

At slightest three municipal districts successful the Houston suburbs person issued boil h2o notices to communities with debased h2o pressure. They see Montgomery County’s Flamingo Lakes neighborhood,  Fort Bend County’s Willow Creek Farms Municipal Utility District and Fulshear MUD 3A.

— John Wayne Ferguson

Shutting your h2o off

Readers wrote successful asking astir turning the h2o to their location disconnected and connected again. 

One mode to debar frozen pipes is to crook the h2o to your location disconnected and flush the pipes by moving faucets until they're adust and flushing toilets until they're retired of water, according to Joe Bany, manager of tract operations and liable maestro plumber astatine John Moore Services . (Hint: You tin inactive capable the bathtub truthful you'll person immoderate h2o and you could flush the toilet by adding a tiny bucket of h2o to unit it to flush)

If you take to disconnected the h2o to your home, you tin simply crook it disconnected and unrecorded without moving h2o until the fearfulness of frost has passed, Bany said. That's not a large option, so  much livable mode to bash it is to unopen disconnected the h2o and drain the pipes erstwhile you spell to furniture astatine night. When you get up successful the morning, crook the h2o backmost connected and permission faucets dripping oregon flush toilets and tally h2o occasionally. Then bash it each implicit again erstwhile you spell to furniture astatine night.

For those who don't cognize however to bash it, you'll find the h2o shut-off valve astatine the tube wherever it enters your location oregon astatine valves wherever your pipes link to the city's h2o system. This is often successful a container successful your gait not acold from the curb. They tin beryllium hard to turn; an casual solution is to usage a h2o shut-off key, which should outgo little than $10 and tin beryllium recovered astatine astir hardware stores. (They're besides called "curb keys" oregon "curb container keys.")

The constituent is to not permission h2o sitting idle successful your pipes — that's erstwhile it's much apt to freeze, past pipes tin rupture and erstwhile they thaw, origin h2o harm to your home.

If you're leaving your location for a fewer days, spell up and crook the h2o off, past reconstruct it erstwhile you're backmost home, helium said.

— Diane Cowen

Texas powerfulness companies inquire customers to conserve

A fistful of Texas vigor companies connected Friday nighttime issued nationalist statements asking their customers to conserve energy and gas.

Just aft 5 p.m., 5 companies —  Reliant, Green Mountain Energy, Stream Energy, Cirro Energy and XOOM Energy —  each sent emails oregon nationalist Twitter posts asking radical to trim vigor usage by limiting the usage of ample appliances. All 5 companies are owned by NRG.

Your assistance is needed owed to the debased temperatures expected passim Texas. Please assistance trim your usage by limiting the usage of ample appliances. Visit https://t.co/nfC0nZiqoc for tips and tools to conserve.

Most of the messages asked radical to conserve powerfulness betwixt 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

No details were fixed for the companies' request. As of 6 p.m., ERCOT had not issued immoderate powerfulness conservation alerts. NRG didn't instantly respond to a petition for comment.

With debased temperatures expected passim Texas, your assistance is needed to conserve energy. Please assistance trim your usage by limiting the usage of ample appliances. Get tips and tools to conserve.

At 6 p.m., CenterPoint Energy sent retired a connection to customers, asking them to conserve earthy state due to the fact that of grounds request connected its system.

“Our earthy state strategy is operating good nether these utmost circumstances," said Tal Centers, CenterPoint Energy’s vice president, Texas Gas successful a statement. "As everyone is trying to support warm, we are experiencing grounds usage of earthy state and successful bid to forestall work interruptions, we inquire our customers to conserve vigor astatine this time." 

CenterPoint asked radical to wage peculiar attraction to their excavation heaters and encouraged radical to support pumps connected without moving a heater to support their pools from freezing.

— John Wayne Ferguson

Despite unexpectedly precocious demand, ERCOT expects grid to enactment stable

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas missed connected its predictions for energy request connected Thursday nighttime and Friday morning, but the state's electrical grid relation said it expected to person capable procreation to support the grid unchangeable done the weekend.

At highest request astir 8 a.m. Friday, Texans utilized 73,963 megawatts, capable energy to powerfulness astir 14.8 cardinal homes.

That is astir 4,000 megawatts much than ERCOT officials predicted, and astatine times precocious Thursday and aboriginal Friday, ERCOT's request forecasts were disconnected by much than 10,000 megawatts, oregon capable powerfulness for astir 2 cardinal homes.

ERCOT officials were not capable to remark connected the magnitude of powerfulness the grid would request Friday night, but the grid won't person the aforesaid magnitude of upwind powerfulness available arsenic erstwhile the acold beforehand blew done overnight Thursday. At 1 constituent aboriginal Thursday evening, upwind accounted for astir 36 percent of each powerfulness disposable connected the grid.

— John Wayne Ferguson

Abbott says powerfulness grid ‘working well’

A fig of Houstonians are without electricity, and portion immoderate residents are blaming the powerfulness grid, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott  is arguing the contrary.

Abbott said the grid is “working well” based connected a graph helium attached to a tweet helium posted Thursday night.

“Texans are acold and immoderate are wondering astir the powerfulness grid,” Abbot’s tweet said.

Based connected the graph, Abbott determined that determination was much than 20,000 megawatts of other capableness disposable astatine that time.

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In an earlier tweet Thursday, Abbott said “the Texas powerfulness grid continues to run without contented arsenic temperatures driblet crossed our state.”

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— Jonathan Limehouse

CenterPoint warns of scam texts with malicious links

If you received a substance from CenterPoint Energy informing astir rotating powerfulness outages, delete it and don't click the nexus it was sent with, the institution said connected Friday.

An chartless idiosyncratic is sending texts that unreal to beryllium from CenterPoint. The nexus is malicious and the substance connection should beryllium deleted immediately, the institution said.

Rotating outages are not expected Friday night, and ERCOT officials said precocious Friday they expect determination to beryllium capable procreation to conscionable request passim the weekend.

While ERCOT did person to telephone upon much than 12,000 megawatts of reserve powerfulness to conscionable request aboriginal Friday morning, the grid ne'er entered exigency conditions and ne'er asked inferior providers to rotate outages.

— Shelby Webb

Cold freezes dozens of  Waugh Street Bridge bats 

More than 100 bats that roost nether the Waugh Street Bridge connected Friday were recovered frozen and lying the crushed Thursday, according to the Houston Humane Society.

The humane nine connected Friday was moving to cod and prevention bats that were inactive clinging to life, officials said.

More than 100 bats were recovered freezing and falling nether Waugh Street Bridge successful Houston Friday, December 23, 2022. 

Houston Humane Society

An estimated 250,000 bats lives nether the span during the near, though the colonisation shrinks during the winter, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

It's not the archetypal clip bats person been killed by acold weather. Around 2,000 bats were killed by the 2021 freeze.

— John Wayne Ferguson

Houston won’t vigor up until adjacent week

No somesthesia records person been breached truthful acold arsenic the arctic acold beforehand permeates passim Texas, but it mightiness beryllium astir a week earlier Houston heats up again, according to upwind officials.

“By (next) Wednesday, we should person a reasonably decent onshore travel returning by past truthful we could beryllium looking astatine highs successful the 70s and lows successful the 50s and 60s for the remainder of the week,” Meteorologist Wendy Wong with the National Weather Service successful Houston and Galveston said Friday.

Until adjacent week, Houston residents tin expect supra freezing temperatures with highs successful the 30s and perchance 40s, Wong said. During the nighttime is erstwhile the acold volition impact the metropolis the astir arsenic lows could driblet to the 20s and teens, she said.

“Winds volition beryllium going down a small spot but they’re inactive going to beryllium reasonably beardown (Friday night) truthful we could beryllium successful the little teens,” Wong stated.

“That’s inactive beauteous acold for the Houston area.”

Christmas volition beryllium frigid with lows successful the precocious 20s and little 30s, but the vacation won’t beryllium arsenic acold arsenic Christmas Eve which volition person lows successful the little and mid 20s, according to Wong.

The arctic acold beforehand had Houstonians bundled up and layered successful jackets and blankets Thursday, but it isn’t the coldest the metropolis has been. The grounds for lowest temperatures successful Houston was recorded successful 1989 erstwhile the metropolis reached 13 degrees astatine George Bush Intercontinental Airport and 15 degrees astatine William P. Hobby Airport, Wong said.

The lowest temperatures dropped connected Thursday was 20 degrees astatine George Bush Intercontinental Airport and 22 degrees astatine William P. Hobby Airport, according to Wong.

The deficiency of precipitation Thursday and perchance passim the remainder of the week is thing Housontians should beryllium “very thankful” for due to the fact that the rainfall could’ve made roadworthy and different conditions “a batch messier,” Wong said.

“I’m a autochthonal Houstonian truthful I cognize we’re not utilized to surviving similar this,” she said.

— Jonathan Limehouse

Long lines for Texas travelers astatine Dallas airport

Hundreds of vacation travelers trying to get connected flights appeared to beryllium stuck successful enactment astatine Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Twitter idiosyncratic John Gonzalez connected Friday day posted a video of hundreds of radical lasting successful lint astatine the American Airlines assistance table astatine the airport.

This is the enactment for the American assistance table astatine DFW ?‘? pic.twitter.com/fbPR0ub3kc

More than 4,400 U.S. flights were canceled Friday due to the fact that of the wintertime tempest that pummeled ample parts of the country, according to Reuters. Another 2,700 flights were canceled connected Thursday.

— John Wayne Ferguson

What to bash if your pipes are frozen  

With an incredibly uncommon wintertime tempest blowing done Texas, galore residents person unboundedly recovered themselves with frozen h2o pipes.  

If you were incapable oregon hide to forestall your pipes from freezing, present is what to do, according to the American Red Cross:

• Keep the faucet unfastened arsenic you dainty the frozen tube with the methods below. Running h2o done the tube volition assistance melt the crystal wrong the pipe.
• Apply vigor to the conception of the frozen tube utilizing an electrical heating pad wrapped astir the pipe, an electrical hairsbreadth dryer, a portable abstraction heater, oregon by wrapping pipes with towels soaked successful blistery water. (Keep each appliances distant from flammable materials.)
• Do not usage a blowtorch, kerosene, propane heater, charcoal stove, oregon different unfastened occurrence devices.
• Apply vigor until the afloat h2o unit is restored.

—Ryan Nickerson

Houston to consolidate warming halfway services

City officials announced plans to widen hours astatine 2 warming centers this play and adjacent down 2 different locations time morning. 
 
The George R. Brown Convention Center and Acres Homes Multi-Service Center  — which presently accommodate 799 and 47 people, respectively  —  volition stay unfastened until 9 a.m. Sunday, according to the mayor’s office.  
 
At the aforesaid time, the Fonde Community Center and Moody Community Center — with 53 and 77 radical staying determination close present  —  volition adjacent their doors astatine 9 a.m. connected Saturday. The metropolis volition transport radical from these 2 warming centers to the George R. Brown Convention Center wherever they tin question structure from the freezing temperatures for the weekend. On Sunday, individuals successful request of proscription tin telephone 311 and petition METRO to instrumentality them to a determination of their choice.
 
So far, much than 1,000 radical person checked successful to Houston’s 5 warming centers. Mayor Sylvester Turner requested this consolidation of services successful bid to amended assistance susceptible Houstonians, his bureau said. All operating centers volition proceed to supply meals, water, blankets, chairs and different supplies to visitors.

— Yilun Cheng

Another Fort Bend assemblage issues boil h2o notice

A 3rd community, and 2nd successful Fort Bend County, has issued a boil h2o announcement for residents amid acold temperatures.

Residents surviving successful the Fulshear Municipal Utility District 3A should boil h2o until the announcement is suspended, according to the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management.

Willow Creek Farms MUD, which earlier Friday issued a boil h2o notice, supplies h2o for Fulshear’s district, according to the region office. Because of acold temperatures, it can’t supply h2o for the clip being, officials said.

— Matt deGrood

Cold upwind means much fires successful Houston region

Houston firefighters spent Friday battling a bid of fires astir the region.

When it gets colder, it’s not antithetic for the occurrence section to respond to a bigger fig of fires, according to a spokesperson for the Houston Fire Department. The crushed is due to the fact that of issues related to heating homes, helium said.

The occurrence section Tweeted Friday astir responding to astatine slightest 7 abstracted fires crossed the city.

Galveston ferry remains up and running, contempt Bolivar powerfulness outages

Despite outages on the Bolivar Peninsula Friday morning, the Galveston Ferry continues to tally with minimal hold times.

Around 10 a.m., 2 boats were successful work with a minimal hold for some Galveston and Bolivar, according to the ferry’s Twitter profile.

Two boats stay successful work with a minimal hold successful Galveston and a 30 infinitesimal hold successful Bolivar, the ferry’s Twitter relationship posted soon earlier 11 a.m.

The ferry besides kept 2 boats successful work and operated with minimal waits Wednesday.

“We proceed to show conditions arsenic wintertime upwind impacts the Galveston area,” the ferry’s Twitter posted Wednesday. “We basal acceptable to serve! If you get a chance, consciousness escaped to convey our deckhands and different unit arsenic they enactment successful these precise acold temps.”

— Jonathan Limehouse

Hot meets acold adjacent Galveston Island

The arctic aerial met the Gulf of Mexico adjacent Galveston Island, producing a country captured connected Saltwater-Recon's Twitter page.

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Airline misery continues to summation astatine Houston's airports

A monolithic wintertime tempest crossed overmuch of the contiguous United States continued to bring question misery to Houston's airports Friday, 1 of the busiest question days of the year.

George Bush Intercontinental had seen 55 flights canceled and 170 delayed arsenic of 11 a.m. Friday, according to information from the flight-tracking work FlightAware. At Hobby, determination had been 30 cancellations and 82 delays. 

As was the lawsuit Thursday–also 1 of the busiest question days of the year–Houston travelers really had it casual Friday, compared to Americans successful galore parts of the country. 

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, which saw hundreds of flights canceled Friday morning, led the federation connected FlightAware’s MiseryMap. Runner-up presumption went to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, wherever freezing rainfall astatine 1 constituent closed each 3 of the airport’s runways and much than 100 flights were canceled implicit the people of Friday morning. 

All told, according to FlightAware, immoderate 4,000 flights within, into oregon retired of the United States had been canceled arsenic of 11 a.m. Friday.

— Erica Grieder

Some districts issuing boil h2o notices astir Houston

At slightest 2 Houston portion municipal districts person issued boil h2o notices Friday greeting amid issues with debased h2o pressure.

Residents successful Fort Bend County’s Willow Creek Farms Municipal Utility District should boil h2o aft the Texas Commission connected Environmental Quality urged the territory to contented a announcement after a driblet successful h2o pressure, according to the county’s bureau of exigency management.

Houston tv presumption KPRC has reported the Texas Commission connected Environmental Quality was besides advising residents successful Montgomery County’s Flamingo Lakes vicinity to boil their h2o due to the fact that of debased h2o pressure.

Houston’s h2o main strategy has not encountered immoderate large incidents oregon emergencies, according to Erin Jones, a spokesperson for Houston Public Works. 
 
“We haven’t had immoderate summation successful incidents,” she said, adding that the existent fig of h2o leaks is connected par with mean levels. 

— Matt deGrood and Yilun Cheng

Pearland sees spike successful calls from residents without water

Pearland's nationalist works section was receiving much calls this greeting from customers without water, astir apt from frozen pipes, officials said. Customers should unopen disconnected their h2o to debar cracked pipes erstwhile the frost thaws. Public works employees volition unopen disconnected the h2o astatine the metre if a lawsuit is having trouble shutting disconnected their water.

If a lawsuit needs assistance, telephone 281-652-1900.

— Pooja Bhakta

Houstonians aftermath up to an icy downtown 

Several areas successful downtown appeared iced implicit aboriginal Friday morning, including the FlowWorks grounds extracurricular the Children’s Museum Houston and the fountain astatine Bob Smith Park. 

The depository is unfastened 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. connected Friday but the courtyard is closed owed to icy conditions, a typical with the depository said. 

The FlowWorks grounds extracurricular the Children’s Museum Houston is seen frozen implicit aft the acrtic blast moved through the portion connected Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. The Museum is open  10 a.m. to 6 p.m. connected Friday but the courtyard is closed owed to icy conditions, a typical with the depository said. 

Children’s Museum Houston

The FlowWorks grounds extracurricular the Children’s Museum Houston is seen frozen implicit aft the acrtic blast moved through the portion connected Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. The Museum is open  10 a.m. to 6 p.m. connected Friday but the courtyard is closed owed to icy conditions, a typical with the depository said. 

Children’s Museum Houston

The FlowWorks grounds extracurricular the Children’s Museum Houston is seen frozen implicit aft the acrtic blast moved through the portion connected Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. (Courtesy) The FlowWorks grounds extracurricular the Children’s Museum Houston is seen frozen implicit aft the acrtic blast moved through the portion connected Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. (Courtesy)

More than 1,000 radical usage warming centers successful Houston

More than 1,000 radical were staying successful warming shelters crossed the metropolis of Houston, officials said Friday morning.

No 1 had reported immoderate issues connected to the warming centers arsenic of astir 8:30 a.m. Friday, officials said.

According to Houston politician Sylvester Turner’s Office, much than 600 radical had checked successful astatine the George R. Brown Convention Center – by acold the astir populated warming center. 

The Harris County Office of Emergency Management reached retired to the metropolis to study that the Leon Grayson Center hadn't been heating properly, according to the mayor's office. The 15 radical staying determination were moved to the George R. Brown Convention Center.

— Matt deGrood

Electricity usage whitethorn person peaked astir Houston

It appears electricity usage whitethorn person already peaked this morning. ERCOT reports 73,865 megawatts were being utilized conscionable earlier 9 a.m., and procreation has ramped up to supply 80,229 megawatts. One megawatt is capable to powerfulness 200 homes connected a blistery summertime day.

Earlier this morning, ERCOT deployed 5,896 megawatts of reserves, according to nationalist notices. There were much than 6,000 megawatts of reserve powerfulness connected backmost up conscionable earlier 9 a.m.

About 17,572 CenterPoint customers were without power, and 184,829 had powerfulness restored wrong the past 24 hours.

— Shelby Webb

Communities opening, closing warming centers astir region

The metropolis of Baytown planned to adjacent down its warming halfway at the assemblage halfway due to the fact that of a deficiency of need, officials said.

The metropolis volition adjacent the halfway astatine 10 a.m., officials said. Anyone who has an contented with their h2o tin call, 281-420-5300.

But elsewhere, Galveston County leaders planned to open a caller warming halfway astatine High Island’s gym connected the Bolivar Peninsula due to the fact that of reported powerfulness outages, officials said.

Entergy had restored powerfulness to galore customers, but were inactive moving to afloat reconstruct power, officials said.

— Matt deGrood

Entergy suspends planned outages

Energy institution Entergy has suspended planned outages and disconnects done Jan. 3, arsenic the portion continues to grapple with freezing temperatures.

The New Orleans-based institution services areas conscionable northbound and eastbound of Houston.

Customers with questions tin telephone 1-800-368-3749, officials said.

— Matt deGrood

Pearland water, wastewater moving arsenic mean Friday morning

Most of Pearland remained with powerfulness arsenic of Friday morning, but for a pouch of residents successful the Southdown neighborhood, Mayor Kevin Cole said.

The city’s h2o and wastewater services besides continued operating arsenic normal, helium said.

— Matt deGrood

Early searches haven't recovered frozen turtles adjacent Galveston

Searchers aboriginal Friday had been combing the beaches on Galveston successful hunt of cold-stunned turtles that mightiness person washed up connected the shoreline, but had not recovered immoderate aft astir 30 minutes of searching, officials said.

“No signs yet, but it is early,” said Christopher Marshall, a prof of marine biology astatine Texas A&M University successful Galveston.

The hunt came aft the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service connected Thursday asked radical to look retired for cold-stunned turtles that mightiness person washed up connected the shoreline.

Sea turtles cannot modulate their assemblage somesthesia and astatine h2o temperatures beneath 50 degrees, they go immobilized, according to the agency.

Cold-stunned turtles are recovered chiefly on the inshore areas, including canals, bays, estuaries and passes. The turtles interval to the aboveground and often lavation ashore owed to beardown prevailing northwest winds, the bureau said.

If the stunned turtles are rescued quickly, they tin beryllium saved and released erstwhile temperatures increase, the bureau said.

If you find a cold-stunned oversea turtle, study it to the Texas Sea Turtle Hotline fig astatine 1-866-TURTLE-5 (1-866-887-8535).

— Nicole Hensley

Why frigid temps mean debased h2o levels successful bays

People crossed the portion reported that h2o levels successful Trinity and Galveston bays were astatine debased levels Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service Houston-Galveston.

Twitter

That's due to the fact that the beardown northbound travel from the acold beforehand besides pushed down h2o levels, successful summation to temperatures, according to meteorologists.

— Matt deGrood

Demand for powerfulness expected to highest Friday greeting crossed state

Experts expect the request for powerfulness successful Texas should highest Friday morning.

And, arsenic of astir 7:30 a.m., powerfulness request has started to tick up, rising to 74,061 megawatts. About 77,330 megawatts were bring produced by powerfulness generators. One megawatt is capable to powerfulness astir 200 homes connected a blistery summertime day.

ERCOT tapped into astir 955 megawatts of reserve powerfulness conscionable earlier 7 a.m.

Reserve powerfulness dipped to 4,855 megawatts, much than capable to grip request but down from much than 8,000 megawatts conscionable aft midnight. ERCOT begins automatically taking enactment erstwhile little than 3,000 megawatts are connected the grid and enters its lowest level of exigency alert erstwhile reserves scope beneath 2,300 megawatts and are not expected to retrieve for 30 minutes.

— Shelby Webb

Passengers look increasing fig of cancelled flights retired of Houston

A time aft a monolithic wintertime tempest hampered postulation done Houston’s airports connected 1 of the busiest question days of the year, flights were already being cancelled and delayed Friday morning.

More than 28 flights had been cancelled arsenic of 7:20 a.m. Friday astatine William P. Hobby Airport, on with different 42 astatine George Bush Intercontinental, arsenic freezing temperatures are expected to linger into the weekend, according to information from the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Both airports were besides facing a combined 83 delays.

Houston wasn’t unsocial successful a piling fig of delays and cancellations Friday morning, with airports crossed the state reporting much than 400 delays and 430 cancellations, according to the MiseryMap.

Friday's cancellations were already approaching the totals reported by Thursday afternoon.

— Matt deGrood

Cold upwind chills to linger done the time Friday

Residents crossed the portion shouldn’t expect overmuch alleviation from frigid temperatures done Friday, arsenic maximum upwind chill values volition conflict to permission the 20s, according to the National Weather Service Houston-Galveston.

Twitter

Wind chill values should again driblet into azygous digits overnight Friday, officials said. People should stay indoors arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable and marque definite each pets are besides inside.

— Matt deGrood

Some residents without powerfulness astir Houston region

Temperatures crossed the portion dipped into the teens aboriginal Friday morning. But lone astir 500 progressive outages were reported crossed Houston arsenic of 6:10 a.m. Friday, according to CenterPoint Energy.

The outages were affecting astir 17,700 customers, according to the company. Crews had worked since the commencement of the tempest connected restoring powerfulness to much than 131,000 customers implicit the past 24 hours.

The crushed for the outages wasn’t given, but CenterPoint has said winds and downed branches could origin localized powerfulness outages. ERCOT, Texas’ electrical grid operator, reported grid conditions were mean and the state’s vigor proviso remained supra projected demand.

Across Texas, about 77,500 homes and businesses were without powerfulness aboriginal Friday morning.

— Matt deGrood

Plunging temperatures make icy conditions connected roadways

Police closed Bellaire Boulevard betwixt Baney Way and Kirkwood  around 9:30 p.m. Thursday due to the fact that a tube burst and began spraying h2o implicit the road, officials said.

Water from the burst tube rapidly froze due to the fact that of plunging temperatures, starring to slippery conditions on the agelong of road, officials with Houston Police Department told On Scene investigators.

— Matt deGrood

Power outage tracker, different important items to know

Readers tin get unrecorded updates connected powerfulness outages crossed Texas with our tracker. CenterPoint said Thursday that crews were acceptable and waiting to respond. 

Four Houston warming centers are open. People who request to enactment lukewarm tin spell to Moody Community Center astatine 3725 Fulton St. successful Northside, astatine the Fondé Community Center astatine 110 Sabine St. adjacent Buffalo Bayou Park, the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center astatine 6719 West Montgomery Road oregon the George R. Brown Convention Center downtown. 

There are besides warming centers astatine Green House International Church astatine 200 West Greens Road and astatine Lakewood Church, 3700 Southwest Freeway. 

Check this usher for accusation connected resources, roadworthy conditions, however to woody with powerfulness outages and more. 

Christmas spiritual services are planned to proceed contempt the freeze 

The Houston area's largest churches said they're readying to clasp Christmas play services arsenic planned contempt the cold.

Representatives for Lakewood Church, Woodlands Church, Second Baptist Church, New Light Christian Center Church and The Fountain of Praise said they volition transportation connected with regularly scheduled services connected Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Several Houston-area colleges and universities are closed Friday 

College closures were expected to mostly impact employees, arsenic students had already been released for wintertime break.
 
Lone Star College buildings were readying to adjacent Friday, portion Prairie View A&M University's non-essential employees were to enactment remotely successful the morning, according to the schools.
 
The University of Houston encouraged employees to enactment remotely Friday.
 
Houston Community College and San Jacinto College closed Thursday and were to resume mean hours Jan. 2. Sam Houston State University closed astatine 1 p.m. Thursday.
 
— Samantha Ketterer 

This communicative volition beryllium updated passim the time with the latest sum connected the Houston hard freeze, arsenic accusation becomes available. To person unrecorded updates, motion up for our Breaking News newsletter or download the Houston Chronicle mobile app.

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