ERCOT looks ahead at winter preparedness

AUSTIN, Texas - The ERCOT board of directors looked at winter preparedness during their meeting on Tuesday.

The board discussed the challenges posed by this year's extremely hot summer, and also considered the impact of a growing population on electricity demand.

ERCOT's lead meteorologist said outside of extreme weather events, many recent winters have been warmer than average. However, he warned that it's important to remember that even when it looks like winter is supposed to be warm, there can still be those storms pressuring the grid.

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"The winter season, unlike the summer, is a very volatile, changeable pattern, and it can flip from 80 degrees to 15 degrees in a matter of 24 hours. You don't see those big swings in the summer," said ERCOT meteorologist Chris Coleman. "Sometimes you get a cold front that comes through the middle of the day and the temperature drops 20 or 30 degrees in a matter of an hour."

He added that while he doesn't expect any issues through Christmas and New Years. Once we get into January and February, major events are more difficult to predict more than a few weeks out.