FORNEY, Texas — School districts have begun announcing closures this week amid a continued winter storm surge and rolling blackouts brought on by peak demands on Texas' electrical grid.
FORNEY, Texas — School districts have begun announcing closures this week amid a continued winter storm surge and rolling blackouts brought on by peak demands on Texas' electrical grid.
Updated closures will be posted below, including closures throughout the week:
Districts which have announced closures for Thursday, February 18, 2021, include Forney ISD, Terrell ISD, Crandall ISD, Kaufman ISD, Scurry-Rosser ISD, Kemp ISD, and Mabank ISD.
Districts which have announced closures for Friday, February 19, 2021, include Forney ISD, Terrell ISD, Crandall ISD, Kaufman ISD, Scurry-Rosser ISD, Kemp ISD, and Mabank ISD.
Trinity Valley Community College campuses will be closed on Friday.
For information on Warming Centers and Shelters, click here.
The current winter storm surge in North Texas is expected to continue through this week. In the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, dangerous wind chills of -10 to -20 degrees are expected into Tuesday morning. A wintry mix of precipitation is expected late Tuesday night into Wednesday with snow in the forecast Wednesday evening. Above freezing temperatures are expected to return on Friday. Significant ice accumulations are possible throughout portions of north and central Texas.
The winter storm surge has brought on peak energy demands to the Texas grid. The Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) declared an Energey Emergency Alert Level 3 overnight which ordered transmission companies to reduce demand on the system, typically done through rolling or rotating outages.
ERCOT and Texas energy providers are continuing to encourage consumers and businesses to reduce their electricity usage.
"We are experiencing record-breaking electric demand due to the extreme cold temperatures that have gripped Texas," stated ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness. "At the same time, we are dealing with higher-than-normal generation outages due to frozen wind turbines and limited natural gas supplies available to generating units. We are asking Texans to take some simple, safe steps to lower their energy use during this time."
To help reduce electricity use, Texans are asked to turn down their thermostats to 68 degrees, close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows, turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances, and avoid using large appliances like ovens and washing machines.
Businesses are also asked to minimize their use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible. Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
Yesterday, FEMA announced President Joseph Biden had approved an Emergency Declaration for Texas due to the severe winter storm.
Districts, businesses, and educational systems can send closure updates to News@inForney.com.