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Lights go out at Texas news station as meteorologist warns of blackouts during weather forecast

Extreme heat knocked out power at a Houston-based TV station just as a meteorologist was explaining how the record-breaking temperatures could cause rolling blackouts across the state. ABC weatherman Travis Herzog was in the middle of a weathercast showing how the triple-digit heat over major population centres could cause power outages when the lights went out.

Krishna Kakani

Updated Jul 16, 2022, 14:05 IST

Power flickered at a news station in Houston, Texas while a meteorologist was warning about the risk of rolling blackouts in the state | Picture courtesy: Twitter/@TravisABC13

Photo : Twitter

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

A weather forecast at Houston-based ABC news station was briefly interrupted by a power outage.
Meteorologist Travis Herzog was reporting as it lost power twice within hours.
Texas has been recording temperatures at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).

Texas, United States: Extreme heat knocked out power at a Houston-based TV station just as a meteorologist was explaining how the record-breaking temperatures could cause rolling blackouts across the state.

ABC weatherman Travis Herzog was in the middle of a weathercast showing how the triple-digit heat over major population centres such as Houston itself, could cause power outages when the lights went out.

"One of our engineers informed me we went off the grid a little after 3 p.m.," Herzog said later in a post on Twitter. "The studio lights aren't on a dedicated backup power source, so they went off as we switched generator power."

The station lost power twice within two hours while on air. It was knocked out by the heat earlier and then restored during a forecast, causing the lights to cut out again momentarily as the studio switched from generator power to being back on the grid.

However, the meteorologist continued to report, informing local viewers that excessive heat is directly correlated to high power demand.

It’s still not clear what exactly caused the breakdown, however, Herzog said with certainty that grid conditions are “getting really tight”.

Meanwhile, Texans have been repeatedly asked by the Lone Star State’s grid operator to conserve electricity during peak hours to avoid risking rolling blackouts.

A rolling blackout—also known as a rotational outage—is a series of strategic temporary power outages intended to strike a balance between demand and supply of power.

With temperatures breaching triple digits in several parts of the state, Texas is staring down the barrel of an unforgiving heatwave, having already sweltered through multiple 100-degree days.

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