To the relief of many Houstonians still traumatized by the mass outages of 2021, Tuesday’s historic snowfall has had minimal impact on the region’s power grid so far. CenterPoint Energy, the primary electricity distribution utility for the Houston area,

Tens of thousands of Texans were without power Tuesday morning, but the statewide electric grid wasn’t to blame. With the current cold snap’s most frigid temperatures still to come, electricity demand already has had its biggest spike since last January.

After a statewide blackout in 2021 and a massive Austin outage in 2023, cold weather means energy anxiety for many in Central Texas.

Snow, sleet and freezing rain across Central and South Texas could bring down power lines, causing localized outages beginning Monday evening.

With the winter storm affecting the Houston area, power is a concern that many residents have after the winter storm that affected the area in 2021.

Another Arctic blast of freezing temperatures will test the ERCOT grid during this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and early next week.

Though ERCOT doesn't expect to issue outages, some could occur in the Houston area if icy conditions materialize, CenterPoint Energy said.