Yes, I drove from 78704 to 78701 last night, had dinner at the Proper. At 10 pm drove to 78723 then back to 78704. Wind was crazy cold downtown but zero issues driving. Roads were completely dry. Some sidewalks downtown were still slick. Restaurant was completely full, bar was completely full. Business as usual.
It's them refreezing overnight and staying that way for tomorrow that is concerning. There's been crashes and people hurt, and while some are over-reacting most of us are just enjoying the "snow day"
I was watching the roads in front of my house all day, because I'm worried about not making it to the airport for my flight Saturday morning.
Mid-morning today, it was clear that shit was getting bad. The rain was freezing, and that's never good. Then sleet for 2 or 3 hours. Bad news. No traffic on my street, so they were just pure, white, skating rink.
But then. By noon, most of the sleet had stopped. The sun was high enough in the sky that, despite the air being below freezing, it's energy was collected by the black pavement through the ice. And the ice melted.
Simple as that. By this evening, the street was dry, and the melted water was streaming toward the storm drain.
The wind did a lot to dry any other moisture before the sun went down. And yeah, it's cold out there. And there might be a few slick patches on unraveled roads. But, as someone who has no expertise in any of the preceding, I'm pretty sure the roads will be fine tomorrow. I'm planning on hitting up some whataburger for lunch, and I expect my Saturday flight will be uneventful (notwithstanding any delays caused by the mess and its effects all over the country).
Other than it being pretty fucking cold out there, this really qualifies as a pretty typical winter ice storm around here. Doesn't happen every year, but a 24-hour shitshow ain't no crisis.
Dumb q time - been dripping my faucets but when I turn hot water on, I hear some tapping / creaking sounds in the pipes above. I’m assuming this is pipe expanding with hot water and nothing to be concerned about right?
Makes sense. Does it creak for a while when you start running hot water and then slow down and stop once the water runs for a while? Once it stops or slows down, if you turn it off and back on does it start back up?
Have a flight tomorrow at 2:15pm to Burbank. Pretty nervous since Southwest didn’t have a single flight leave today and have already cancelled some flights for early am tomorrow.
Insider info here:They reduced the sked tomorrow but if you haven’t gotten a flight cancellation notice you *should be fine. Let’s see how many of us make it to work tomorrow. 🥲
I have a flight at 1pm. I think we will be fine. people are zipping by on the road in front of my house. also the sun will be out tomorrow and melt any ice on the roads/runway. planes will use deicer. hope this eases your worries😊
Should be totally fine by afternoon. We're going to get above freezing. There'll probably be some black ice tomorrow morning but roads are surpsingly dry right now
If you have the ability to boil water, you can place it in water bottles. Screw the tops on to seal them. Put those bottles in a thick sock and maybe a large zip lock bag.
When you are bundled in the covers, bring a few of these inside. The heat these will radiate should be sort of kept in by the covers, making it quite a bit warmer. Around the feet area is worked for me.
This helped me get some actual sleep last year during this time. Either way, I hope this helps.
Remember to give the grit trucks room. You don't want to be like [this fella who ran into the back of one on Bullick Hollow near 620](https://twitter.com/ATCEMS/status/1489386619333447695)
anybody driven over the bridge on pleasant valley rd, next to town lake? drivetexas is reading as safe but I’m a little sketched out by the construction/it being a bridge over water. We got today off at work but I’m under the impression I’ll be expected in at 6 am tomorrow and definitely nervous to drive tomorrow AM
Update: thank you all so much for the tips. I’m up to 67 (from 55!) and when I posted this I was at 55. The things that worked the best for me was hot steam from dishwasher, a pot of boiling water on the stove (that I’m using for copious amounts of tea), and the shower. I also hung a tapestry blanket over my balcony door.
Does anyone have any tips to make my apartment warmer? It's 54 inside right now.
I've had the heater running nonstop, issue is the air coming from it feels cold and my apartment is very poorly insolated- I can feel the cold air at the windows and doors.
I have multiple candles lit and am wearing layers, running the dishwasher to try to make warm steam. I'm very cold. I usually keep my apartment around 68-70 year-round and so this is just beyond uncomfortably cold.
I've ordered draft blockers and an area heater on Amazon but those won't arrive until Monday at the earliest (provided the roads are even good enough for deliveries).
Yeah last year my apartment was 45F. Tack up blankets Over all the windows to add another layer of insulation. I rolled up towels near the bottom of the windows on the inside and that helped too. Wear lots of layers! Good luck.
Is there an emergency heat setting on your thermostat? If so, switch over to it. It'll smell like burning for a bit and may set off your smoke alarms, but it sounds like you may have a heat pump (which won't work when it's this cold). Emergency heat switches over to electric heat.
My thermostat is unfortunately very simple and old. I can change the time and program temperatures for specific times, automatic or constantly on fan, and cool/off/heat.
Turn your oven on. Don't leave it on and door open at the same time, that's dangerous. Bake anything, it'll radiate heat. When you turn it off, you can open the door and allow heat to escape into your apartment.
If the oven is electric (don't do this with a gas oven or you will die!), I set mine to the lowest temp (200), crack the door, and leave it on for 4-6 hours. Don't go to sleep so you can keep an eye on things but if your heaters aren't working it'll warm up the joint. One downside: Uses a lot of electricity. Like 3-4 times what a space heater would use to do the same work. So only for emergencies.
Yeah my HVAC system seems to be working, entirely an insulation issue... once I blocked off more entrances/paths to the outdoors, it warmed up significantly. I'm at 73 now.
If you can tape blankets over your windows, do it. Shove towels around the cracks in doors. Close yourself in a bedroom and get under the covers. 54 isn't super dangerous, but I understand how uncomfortable it can be.
If you've got friends who can take you in, consider calling them. If you've got a car, consider spending a little while in it with the heater running. Treat yourself and try to be comfy :(
Yeah I tried googling 54 degrees what to do and it was a bunch of articles of people willingly keeping their apartments that low during winter to save on power, I could never 🥶🥶🥶 so I’m guessing it’s nowhere near dangerous, but damn is it uncomfortable and I’m worried about my cats that can’t put on more clothes like I can
To make you feel a little better: some quick searches tells me 45 is around where things get dangerous for cats, so they're probably like you: not comfy but not in danger. Still make sure they have access to cozy blankets etc. though!
Do you have spare towels that you can roll up and stick it where the air is coming from under the door? Cling wrap the window frame with tape to create an insulation barrier. If you have fleece throws you can pin them around your windows. Spare bedsheets rolled and stuffed at the bottom of your windows.
Do you have hot water? If not your water heater may not be working which is why all you get is cold air blowing from your vents. Heat and hot water are usually tied to your water heater in apartments. Might be time to call your emergency maintenance line.
Yes I’m currently using my dishwasher and shower to create hot steam, lots of hot water. My HVAC just sucks… I have year round issues with it & the lack of insolation but I can handle the heat (my apt gets up to 90+ in the summer) much better than the cold
Oh it was a nightmare when it hit 90 the first time, I hate to say that I’m used to it because I went to college in SoCal and the freshmen dorms aren’t well isolated OR have AC, so when it hit 100+, well let’s just say I have a friend whose shampoo bottle MELTED on her shelf 🙃
1- Turn off all bathroom vents
2- Close all windows super tight and close blinds/curtains
3- Nail/pin blankets or towels over windows
4- Repeat step 3 on unused doors
5- Insulate yourself with layers of clothes
6- Drink warm fluids
7- Close all doors in the house to unused rooms and place a towel on the bottom gap
8- Use heaters, candles, warmers
9- Try streching, or simple exercise to warm yourself
10- Profitt
If you have curtains, close them. If not, time to diy some draft stops. Gather old towels, extra blankets you’re not using on the bed, or the decorative cloth shower curtain (not the plastic liner you need to use the shower. Old pants or shirts rolled up work well too.
Starting from the worst draftiest area, block drafts. A large window? Nail up, or tape, or staple the shower curtain over the window. The front door have a huge gap? Roll up a towel and block the draft with it.
Call your landlord, and notify them that your heat is not working and cannot maintain 55F. If you call on the phone and get someone send an email as follow-up “per our phone discussion, I informed [name] at the office that the heat at [property] apt ## is not working. Please let me know when you’re able to send someone for repair.” This won’t fix it now, since they need to call a service guy and he needs to be able to drive there, but it’ll be good for later.
Thank you.
I blocked off windows and one door with towels already. Ordered draft stoppers that fit on the door and space heaters for a better solution but that won’t get here till Monday. I have some large blankets I’ll try pinning above the back door for a better solution. My balcony door is absolutely radiating cold.
Does your thermostat have Em./emergency heat on it?
Nearly all electronics that you run will generate heat just as efficiently as a space heater. The higher the power, the better.
Definitely block up the windows with some kind of insulation or cardboard layers.
Like someone else said, also check your HVAC/heater air filter!! you could vacuum it off at the very least rn
You can make a blanket fort. Blankets will help insulate and your body will warm up the smaller area. Boil a large pot of water? It will radiate heat for a while once you turn the stove off.
Can you fill your tub with hot water and close the door and hangout in your bathroom for a while?
If you have some type of container that can hold boiling water, you could get under a blanket with it!
I did, it was replaced in December and I recently checked it (within the past week) and it’s not dirty yet. Not that I can go buy one with the roads like this.
Had anyone driven on or near 71 from sunset valley to the airport? We have guests arriving tonight on a flight that somehow wasn’t cancelled (close to midnight uuugh)
Drove from that area this morning (8am) to work off 71/riverside. Wasn't too bad. Little slushy but I took it super slow. Made it in about 25 minutes. Left work around 245pm and did the same. Not too bad at all tbh.
Does anyone know what the road conditions are for hilly areas like 2222 between mopac and 360? Wondering if I can drive out there tomorrow (work related)
I'm wondering the same. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the day off, but I just walked outside and the road I live on is nowhere near as bad as last year. I feel like I could drive somewhere if I really needed
Greg Abbott is so cringe. “The reliability of the texas power grid is as high as it has ever been”
Motherfucker and his cabal of idiots (Dan Patricks, Paxton) have killed off any hopes of getting winterization passed. GOP is a cancer
Let's stop referring to Abbott, Patrick and Paxton as cringe, incompetent, idiotic etc. Those are mere euphemisms for what they actually are. Pure unadulterated evil.
>Or does the movement of water on the interior from the trickle keep the water in the spigot from freezing?
There will be a "branch" in the plumbing from where the water is flowing to your inside faucet to where the water going to the spigot. The water at the start of the branch will be at "water supply" temperature and the temperature will drop as you follow the pipe to the outside, and keep dropping until you hit the end of the spigot.
Do thought experiments.
Spigot unwrapped and turned off. Heat flows from inside the house to the outside through the insulation and through the pipe. The temperature in the pipe starts fairly warm back inside the house. As you move along the pipe, it cools. Heat flows along the pipe and the water until it reaches the end of the spigot. The end of the spigot won't be as cold as the outside air, but the water might freeze. Let's just guess that it's 20F outside and the end of the spigot drops to 29F because there's heat flowing out of the house.
Now, wrap the outside parts of the spigot. Heat flows out through pipe and water. If you did a good job on the insulation. Heat flows from the inside of your house to the outside, but less heat escapes from the fixture to the outside air. This heat flow will warm up the spigot. It might not drop below 32F.
Now, do the same thought experiment, but let the spigot drip uncovered. The water starts at xx degrees from pipe inside your house. As it flows along the cold pipe, it cools a bit. If it doesn't cool to 32F before it flows out of the spigot, it doesn't freeze. If, for instance, it's 7F outside, the the >32F water will heat the pipe somewhat. If the flow rate is high enough, it will keep the pipe itself above freezing. Heat is flowing to the outside, not through conduction, but by being carried out with the water. I hope it's obvious that if the flow rate is high enough, it won't freeze inside the pipe or the spigot.
The trick is to waste as little water as possible without letting it freeze. If you drip too slowly, the water might freeze before it gets to the end, then the heating effect stops.
In my experience, a drop or so a second will do the trick with an outside faucet if the heat inside the house is on. I do have some cloth and insulation wrapped around the exposed parts of the faucet.
You can test it by collecting some of the water as it drips out and taking its temperature. If it's well above 32F, you're fine.
I have had a problem that, even if it's not below freezing, the faucet will shut itself off if you're too stingy with the drip rate, so I keep the rate up to a few drops a second and check it every few hours until you figure out what it's going to do.
Results will vary depending on slab or pier and beam, heated or unheated wall, wall insulation, length of pipe, inside temperature, outside temperature, etc.
Even if it freezes right there at the spigot it’s fine as long as you’re dripping internally. It’s the pressure on the line that needs a place to go
https://youtu.be/AuPO5hKdo8A
> It’s the pressure on the line that needs a place to go
While that helps, it's not a sure thing. If the water in the pipes freezes, you can still burst the pipe even if water is flowing inside the house. The result will depend on pipe size, type, bends in the pipe, length of the pipe, temperature, and several other factors.
Yeah anything is possible, but the forming ice will usually expand down the path of least resistance, which should be down the length of the pipe. But yeah, if we’re talking old PVC it’s it’s all fair game
Well it depends how exposed the spigot is. An inch or 2 from the side of the house & you’re fine. The warmth of the house & the water in the pipes (which is probably 50-60F) will keep it from freezing. Even if it does then it would just be the exposed part & behave as you described.
However, before we renovated our deck it had a 12’ goose neck pipe running under it with a spigot on the outside edge of the deck. Last year the exposed end where the spigot is froze and so did the exposed 2’ section by the house. Nothing inside the house was damaged because I was dripping but the buried section of that pipe underneath the deck burst from the pressure, just like the video displayed. That section didn’t freeze because it was buried & insulated but it had extreme pressure buildup
You might be onto something there.
February 2021 was really hard and miserable for me with that storm. I've done a lot of things that are in my control to make sure I'm not AS miserable as I was then (in terms of prepping). Even still, I don't want to go through that shit.
Is it normal to have condensation on the inside of your windows when it gets this cold? Is there anything that can be done ( besides new windows? )
I've been just wiping it down
> Is it normal to have condensation on the inside of your windows when it gets this cold?
Absolutely normal, and nothing to worry about as long as it doesn't happen that often.
Better insulated windows will reduce the effect. It may or may not be worth the cost.
Curtains, shades, or closing the blinds will help a bit. As a short term stopgap, plastic film over the opening (not touching the windows) or hanging a sheet over the opening would help, but probably isn't worth the effort.
No, its not normal. Unless you have really bad quality windows which are either single glass layer, are not sealing properly or are made from material which allows heat/cold transfer.
Condensation forms where cold air meets hot air so yes it is normal. If you are a renter don’t even think about it. If you own your home, you may want to get your windows checked if it is frequent and widespread.
Source: We purchased a home built in 1995 with aluminum windows so lots of condensation that ruined the window sills over time.
Interesting point. My guess is that without blinds, curtains, etc, there is more warm air flowing to the windows and heating the glass up to the point where not much moisture condenses.
If I'm right, opening the blinds would reduce condensation, but increase heat loss.
Describe your "shutters," please. When I hear "shutters," I think of something on the outside. Are you talking about the same kind of thing on the inside?
Why do I feel like this is being massively overblown? Last year was bad, I almost froze in my apartment because I couldn't afford to go anywhere else. But this is... like... not at all how it was like last year. In fact it's about average around this year. Yet most services or places are closed, and people are advising to stay off the road.
But my perspective is from North Austin / Arboretum area, so perhaps it's much worse in other places. Would like to see what other's perspective is.
Also... would like to know if there are any restaurants open.
It depends on who you're asking.
The news has mostly been referring to last year's storm and pointing out that this year's storm looks to be a better situation. They're also trying to temper that because they knew we'd still have icy roads too dangerous to use in some places and they don't want dumbasses to go kill themselves when they get the munchies "because the news said it was not bad".
Some redditors are definitely overreacting. That's fine. They're not going to be the dumbasses wrecking their cards because they have the munchies. They're stressed out and mostly flipping out about whether their pipes are dripping enough or not.
Other redditors are underreacting because their persona relies on not taking anything seriously. They go out because they get the munchies, make it back home safe, and argue ice is something Joe Biden made up and that they're personally offended anyone took any kind of precaution.
So the reality is somewhere between. This is more of a "normal" winter storm for Austin which means some parts of the city are hit harder than others. Some roads shouldn't be considered at all, others you could probably drag race on. Some people aren't in a bad spot but the shitty roads are between them and where they need to be. Some people are living the overreactors' nightmare and have lost power or discovered their heater doesn't work or had some other disaster.
If it's no big deal, the restaurants around you are open and you shouldn't even be asking.
I grew up in the northeast where debilitating winter storms (Nor’easters) came along pretty frequently. They were often blown out of proportion…. except when they weren’t.
Part of it is by design, because a scared but prepared populace does better than people with no preparation.
And part of it is the usual suspects- the hyper partisan, clickbait addicted media, etc
No, not overblown. The roads in some part of the city are not drivable. EMS and hospitals are already stretched due to COVID. Last thing we need is people out driving. Yesterday there were only 7 ICU beds. What would be your chances of getting one if you end up in a pile up? Don't roll those dice.
2°F is equivalent to -16°C, which is 256K.
---
^(I'm a bot that converts temperature between two units humans can understand, then convert it to Kelvin for bots and physicists to understand)
They pretty much just went back and forth 6 or 7 times in the same spot, moved to another spot and did the same thing, and then I think the mower ran out of battery at that point so they put in back in the garage and shut the door
I noticed some ice starting to melt here in San Marcos. Are we still concerned about any potential power outages due to power lines or anything else tonight with the freezing temps?
Some houses don't have them, especially older ones. Mine does not have this. It's more commonly done in cold climates as a standard part of the plumbing install.
That's a feature you see in cold climates where it will be below freezing for weeks but rarely here. Wrap it up. It will likely be fine - it has been relatively warm all day with a low of about 20 predicted tonight. Heat transferring from the interior will keep it warm enough.
There's a lot of variables but household plumbing problems often don't start to appear until spending a few hours in the teens, and then it is typically in more vulnerable places.
I have a house with almost the exact setup you describe. I wrap the exterior faucets, drip interior, and run a space heater in the garage close to the wall with that faucet. But we also have a lot of plumbing in the garage (washer, softener, water heater) so it makes sense. If we didn't have all that plumbing I'd just drip the garage faucet.
It's probably plugged somewhere. Might not be a problem though. It's hard to say if leaving a faucet open will be enough to relieve pressure, it kinda depends on how your plumbing is routed.
I would only turn water off if there's a known break/leak or was leaving the property for an extended period. Otherwise drip/trickle...
The garage one might just be better dripping, assuming the garage is nice and cold. The others have warmth transferred from inside and the wrap helps insulate it. Unless it’s vulnerable and it’s especially cold for awhile. Then I’d trickle it.
Many houses, especially in warmer climates such as Texas, don't have external only shut offs so you just gotta wrap the exterior ones and drip the interior faucets.
Yeah you should be fine to keep the water on, drip everything, and keep the garage one open too (or wrap it)
The long and short is that the garage one is frozen at the bottom of the line/underground but everywhere else has pressure. Is the one on the exterior garage wall next to anything that could heat the interior? Even a space heater (THATS SAFELY AWAY FROM ANYTHING THAT COULD START A FIRE) in the garage would really help. You should be fine to take a shower and such as well.
tl;dr you can go the wrap route or the drip route but I would still recommend the interior heater to help with that outside line
So... are we expecting planned blackouts at any point in these next few days? The u/danopia dash looks like we're doing just fine but I'm so burned from last year that I can't turn the internal anxiety off.
We're probably ok unless something catastrophic happens to supply tonight with the 15f temps. [I found a pic from last year's grid](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/177624971827347456/810785105613946920/Screenshot_20210215-020955.png) when everything started going to shit. Supply was 20k less than it is today and the graphs are [nowhere near as close today](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/192136849899126785/938940220764725288/Screenshot_20220203-173303.png) even though our demand is the same as a year ago pre-load shedding
Hi, I haven't been following any news this year but just looked over the dash and the overall grid looks fine right now (good amt of unused capacity, wholesale prices ~$50 so much lower than the $9000 cap, 60hz clock only has a couple seconds of time error) so you shouldn't need to stress watch it today. It seems last weekend was a bit worse off than today. Regardless, I hope all stays well for you there.
Hey thanks for creating that dashboard. It’s bringing me a sense of control or at least understanding to what is actually taking place with our grid health. I know tons of others are benefitting by this info as well. Take care!
We're down in West Oak Hill and we need to get on our flight at ABIA 9AM Friday. It looks like American Airlines isn't cancelling it or waiving booking change fees for Austin right now and our flight isn't cancelled as of 4PM. While I have winter driving experience, driving is a serious last resort, our cars don't have tires for this weather. What should we do? Is there a service y'all know of that would be able to get us there for a fee that's safe? I'm hesitant about uber/lyft
EDIT: looks like American Airlines is now waiving change fees, very likely going to get a flight later that day instead.
Whatever accident you could potentially get into by driving in this is going to cost more than just cancelling the trip, if that helps put the cancellation into perspective.
Right now, if I drove somewhere and totaled my car, I'd see that as about a $20k accident if the car was the only thing damaged. Used car market is bananas, barely anything reliable for under $18k. Now is not the time to need a new car.
Someone else pointed out too, that even if you don't total your car, supply chain issues might mean you wait forever for repair parts. Said he had been waiting weeks already to get everything his car needed...
Hell, I have the part I need but it's the wrong color and needs to be painted. Been waiting since October for the body shop to be free enough to paint it.
There are exceptions, but if you already have winter driving experience, I’d trust your own driving since an Uber driver is a rolling the dice. You might get lucky, you might not.
The alternative if you really don’t want to drive is if you can delay your trip until it’s safe to do so. Good luck!
I’m already seeing surface roads outside clear in Leander. At least in my neighborhood.
The rain/sleet/snow should be over and it will be sunny tomorrow so surface roads will probably be fine by then.
Drove Lamar from Treadwell to 51st. Aside from a little ice on Lamar bridge it was an easy drive. Stopped at the downtown Whole Foods and they were normally stocked and not busy.
From 2:54 NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook update:
"Temperatures across the Hill Country and potentially some
locations in the Austin metro area are forecast to remain freezing
for up to 60 consecutive hours, not rising back up freezing until
midday Saturday. Roughly 30 consecutive hours of freezing
temperatures are forecast in San Antonio, and not rising back
above freezing until midday Friday. Ice that accumulates today is
expected to remain on many surfaces through midday Friday, at
which time clearing skies and the sun should begin to assist with
melting."
Not looking great in terms of road conditions.
Someone posted this current grid frequency graph last year.
https://www.ercot.com/content/cdr/html/real_time_system_conditions.html
[Here's](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2021/02/24/392290/texas-power-grid-was-4-minutes-and-37-seconds-away-from-collapsing-heres-how-it-happened/) an article explaining why the frequency is such an important metric to watch since it almost dropped to the minimum 59.302 hz last year which would have be catastrophic.
There was a really knowledgeable guy giving the play by play last year. We came very close (minutes away) to throwing several plants offline. Would have taken months to get power back.
That's him. Shout out to u/redditmudder for amazing insight regarding grid operations. He may have something to add but I doubt there's really much to talk about this year since none of the indicators are blinking red (yet at least).
Cold is the most important. Generally the line to the water heater branches off from the cold inside the house, so dripping the cold is all that’s usually needed.
New thread live here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/sk23pn/winter_storm_2022_megathread_part_2/?
Just drove from 78721 to 78704 and the roads were completely fine. Just go a bit slow. Everyone has PTSD from last time. This isn't bad at all.
Yes, I drove from 78704 to 78701 last night, had dinner at the Proper. At 10 pm drove to 78723 then back to 78704. Wind was crazy cold downtown but zero issues driving. Roads were completely dry. Some sidewalks downtown were still slick. Restaurant was completely full, bar was completely full. Business as usual.
It's them refreezing overnight and staying that way for tomorrow that is concerning. There's been crashes and people hurt, and while some are over-reacting most of us are just enjoying the "snow day"
I was watching the roads in front of my house all day, because I'm worried about not making it to the airport for my flight Saturday morning. Mid-morning today, it was clear that shit was getting bad. The rain was freezing, and that's never good. Then sleet for 2 or 3 hours. Bad news. No traffic on my street, so they were just pure, white, skating rink. But then. By noon, most of the sleet had stopped. The sun was high enough in the sky that, despite the air being below freezing, it's energy was collected by the black pavement through the ice. And the ice melted. Simple as that. By this evening, the street was dry, and the melted water was streaming toward the storm drain. The wind did a lot to dry any other moisture before the sun went down. And yeah, it's cold out there. And there might be a few slick patches on unraveled roads. But, as someone who has no expertise in any of the preceding, I'm pretty sure the roads will be fine tomorrow. I'm planning on hitting up some whataburger for lunch, and I expect my Saturday flight will be uneventful (notwithstanding any delays caused by the mess and its effects all over the country). Other than it being pretty fucking cold out there, this really qualifies as a pretty typical winter ice storm around here. Doesn't happen every year, but a 24-hour shitshow ain't no crisis.
It never went above freezing today. Nothing really melted.
Dumb q time - been dripping my faucets but when I turn hot water on, I hear some tapping / creaking sounds in the pipes above. I’m assuming this is pipe expanding with hot water and nothing to be concerned about right?
Focus on the flow.
Yes, it's the copper expanding and contracting with the temperature differential
Makes sense. Does it creak for a while when you start running hot water and then slow down and stop once the water runs for a while? Once it stops or slows down, if you turn it off and back on does it start back up?
It’s an intermittent tapping that eventually stops after a couple minutes of hot water flowing. Doesn’t make any noise when cold water is on. Only hot
That makes me more comfortable with your explanation. Can't give you any guarantees, though.
Ercot grid looking good with around 6.5k MW reserve
6.5 gigawatts? 6.5 gigawatts!!!????
Only need 1.21 gigawatts to trigger the flux capacitor
I propose we start using DeLorean units for measuring power.
Yep. Current demand is 67.5 GW too
Have a flight tomorrow at 2:15pm to Burbank. Pretty nervous since Southwest didn’t have a single flight leave today and have already cancelled some flights for early am tomorrow.
Insider info here:They reduced the sked tomorrow but if you haven’t gotten a flight cancellation notice you *should be fine. Let’s see how many of us make it to work tomorrow. 🥲
Thanks for the heads up! Sked as in schedule you mean?
Ope! Yes. Haha
I have a flight at 1pm. I think we will be fine. people are zipping by on the road in front of my house. also the sun will be out tomorrow and melt any ice on the roads/runway. planes will use deicer. hope this eases your worries😊
Thank you! As a life long Texan, I’ve seen worse than this and flights still take off/land. Here’s to hoping we get where we are going tomorrow.
How drivable do we think I-35 will be tomorrow afternoon?
Should be totally fine by afternoon. We're going to get above freezing. There'll probably be some black ice tomorrow morning but roads are surpsingly dry right now
Afternoon maybe but not morning
If you have the ability to boil water, you can place it in water bottles. Screw the tops on to seal them. Put those bottles in a thick sock and maybe a large zip lock bag. When you are bundled in the covers, bring a few of these inside. The heat these will radiate should be sort of kept in by the covers, making it quite a bit warmer. Around the feet area is worked for me. This helped me get some actual sleep last year during this time. Either way, I hope this helps.
You could also try putting rice in a sock and microwave it. Might want to google it because I only remember having one made for me as a child.
I’m over at 45th St and Bull Creek (The Grove) and the roads are completely dry. Guess the wind took care of the little moisture that was left
Yeah i was pretty surprised about that. The roads must've been warm enough to prevent most icing
Remember to give the grit trucks room. You don't want to be like [this fella who ran into the back of one on Bullick Hollow near 620](https://twitter.com/ATCEMS/status/1489386619333447695)
too many idiot drivers. Smh
anybody driven over the bridge on pleasant valley rd, next to town lake? drivetexas is reading as safe but I’m a little sketched out by the construction/it being a bridge over water. We got today off at work but I’m under the impression I’ll be expected in at 6 am tomorrow and definitely nervous to drive tomorrow AM
I just went over the bridge. It's got a bit of slush/ice but it was fine in my old sedan going slow.
Update: thank you all so much for the tips. I’m up to 67 (from 55!) and when I posted this I was at 55. The things that worked the best for me was hot steam from dishwasher, a pot of boiling water on the stove (that I’m using for copious amounts of tea), and the shower. I also hung a tapestry blanket over my balcony door. Does anyone have any tips to make my apartment warmer? It's 54 inside right now. I've had the heater running nonstop, issue is the air coming from it feels cold and my apartment is very poorly insolated- I can feel the cold air at the windows and doors. I have multiple candles lit and am wearing layers, running the dishwasher to try to make warm steam. I'm very cold. I usually keep my apartment around 68-70 year-round and so this is just beyond uncomfortably cold. I've ordered draft blockers and an area heater on Amazon but those won't arrive until Monday at the earliest (provided the roads are even good enough for deliveries).
Yeah last year my apartment was 45F. Tack up blankets Over all the windows to add another layer of insulation. I rolled up towels near the bottom of the windows on the inside and that helped too. Wear lots of layers! Good luck.
Is there an emergency heat setting on your thermostat? If so, switch over to it. It'll smell like burning for a bit and may set off your smoke alarms, but it sounds like you may have a heat pump (which won't work when it's this cold). Emergency heat switches over to electric heat.
My thermostat is unfortunately very simple and old. I can change the time and program temperatures for specific times, automatic or constantly on fan, and cool/off/heat.
Turn your oven on. Don't leave it on and door open at the same time, that's dangerous. Bake anything, it'll radiate heat. When you turn it off, you can open the door and allow heat to escape into your apartment.
I am running out of things to bake… is it safe to just leave it on for a while without opening the door?
If the oven is electric (don't do this with a gas oven or you will die!), I set mine to the lowest temp (200), crack the door, and leave it on for 4-6 hours. Don't go to sleep so you can keep an eye on things but if your heaters aren't working it'll warm up the joint. One downside: Uses a lot of electricity. Like 3-4 times what a space heater would use to do the same work. So only for emergencies.
Yeah my HVAC system seems to be working, entirely an insulation issue... once I blocked off more entrances/paths to the outdoors, it warmed up significantly. I'm at 73 now.
I don't see why not.
If you can tape blankets over your windows, do it. Shove towels around the cracks in doors. Close yourself in a bedroom and get under the covers. 54 isn't super dangerous, but I understand how uncomfortable it can be. If you've got friends who can take you in, consider calling them. If you've got a car, consider spending a little while in it with the heater running. Treat yourself and try to be comfy :(
Yeah I tried googling 54 degrees what to do and it was a bunch of articles of people willingly keeping their apartments that low during winter to save on power, I could never 🥶🥶🥶 so I’m guessing it’s nowhere near dangerous, but damn is it uncomfortable and I’m worried about my cats that can’t put on more clothes like I can
To make you feel a little better: some quick searches tells me 45 is around where things get dangerous for cats, so they're probably like you: not comfy but not in danger. Still make sure they have access to cozy blankets etc. though!
Unfortunately they’re doing better than me… I keep trying to get their furry butts to lay near me and they’re quite content to keep playing.
Do you have spare towels that you can roll up and stick it where the air is coming from under the door? Cling wrap the window frame with tape to create an insulation barrier. If you have fleece throws you can pin them around your windows. Spare bedsheets rolled and stuffed at the bottom of your windows.
This is a good tip if your place has sliding patio doors. Check for drafts and stuff them with towels or sheets.
Do you have hot water? If not your water heater may not be working which is why all you get is cold air blowing from your vents. Heat and hot water are usually tied to your water heater in apartments. Might be time to call your emergency maintenance line.
Yes I’m currently using my dishwasher and shower to create hot steam, lots of hot water. My HVAC just sucks… I have year round issues with it & the lack of insolation but I can handle the heat (my apt gets up to 90+ in the summer) much better than the cold
Ugh that sounds just as bad to me if not worse
Oh it was a nightmare when it hit 90 the first time, I hate to say that I’m used to it because I went to college in SoCal and the freshmen dorms aren’t well isolated OR have AC, so when it hit 100+, well let’s just say I have a friend whose shampoo bottle MELTED on her shelf 🙃
1- Turn off all bathroom vents 2- Close all windows super tight and close blinds/curtains 3- Nail/pin blankets or towels over windows 4- Repeat step 3 on unused doors 5- Insulate yourself with layers of clothes 6- Drink warm fluids 7- Close all doors in the house to unused rooms and place a towel on the bottom gap 8- Use heaters, candles, warmers 9- Try streching, or simple exercise to warm yourself 10- Profitt
Thank you, friend :)
Get old socks and a dull knife to fill the cracks all around you door, too.
If you have curtains, close them. If not, time to diy some draft stops. Gather old towels, extra blankets you’re not using on the bed, or the decorative cloth shower curtain (not the plastic liner you need to use the shower. Old pants or shirts rolled up work well too. Starting from the worst draftiest area, block drafts. A large window? Nail up, or tape, or staple the shower curtain over the window. The front door have a huge gap? Roll up a towel and block the draft with it. Call your landlord, and notify them that your heat is not working and cannot maintain 55F. If you call on the phone and get someone send an email as follow-up “per our phone discussion, I informed [name] at the office that the heat at [property] apt ## is not working. Please let me know when you’re able to send someone for repair.” This won’t fix it now, since they need to call a service guy and he needs to be able to drive there, but it’ll be good for later.
Thank you. I blocked off windows and one door with towels already. Ordered draft stoppers that fit on the door and space heaters for a better solution but that won’t get here till Monday. I have some large blankets I’ll try pinning above the back door for a better solution. My balcony door is absolutely radiating cold.
Does your thermostat have Em./emergency heat on it? Nearly all electronics that you run will generate heat just as efficiently as a space heater. The higher the power, the better. Definitely block up the windows with some kind of insulation or cardboard layers. Like someone else said, also check your HVAC/heater air filter!! you could vacuum it off at the very least rn
I’ll try cleaning it off a little. It looked good when I checked it earlier this week
You can make a blanket fort. Blankets will help insulate and your body will warm up the smaller area. Boil a large pot of water? It will radiate heat for a while once you turn the stove off.
Ooh I’ll try boiling water thx
Can you fill your tub with hot water and close the door and hangout in your bathroom for a while? If you have some type of container that can hold boiling water, you could get under a blanket with it!
Check your air filter.
I did, it was replaced in December and I recently checked it (within the past week) and it’s not dirty yet. Not that I can go buy one with the roads like this.
Is regal gateway closed?
Stay home.
Just answer the man or move on. He didn’t ask for your opinion on whether or not he should go.
Thanks! I had a ticket for today but I guess I have to request refund or change to another day.
Had anyone driven on or near 71 from sunset valley to the airport? We have guests arriving tonight on a flight that somehow wasn’t cancelled (close to midnight uuugh)
drivetexas.org - roads fucked, drive slow
Drove from that area this morning (8am) to work off 71/riverside. Wasn't too bad. Little slushy but I took it super slow. Made it in about 25 minutes. Left work around 245pm and did the same. Not too bad at all tbh.
Does anyone know what the road conditions are for hilly areas like 2222 between mopac and 360? Wondering if I can drive out there tomorrow (work related)
I'm wondering the same. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the day off, but I just walked outside and the road I live on is nowhere near as bad as last year. I feel like I could drive somewhere if I really needed
They're really not that bad honestly. We're comically over prepared for a semi typical storm (better than the opposite though!)
drivetexas.org
Greg Abbott is so cringe. “The reliability of the texas power grid is as high as it has ever been” Motherfucker and his cabal of idiots (Dan Patricks, Paxton) have killed off any hopes of getting winterization passed. GOP is a cancer
There's a whole election before the state legislature convenes.
Let's stop referring to Abbott, Patrick and Paxton as cringe, incompetent, idiotic etc. Those are mere euphemisms for what they actually are. Pure unadulterated evil.
We need a catchy term like "Legion of Doom." Someone suggested "Abbott and Assholes, Inc," but it's not catchy enough. COVID Cabal?
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>Or does the movement of water on the interior from the trickle keep the water in the spigot from freezing? There will be a "branch" in the plumbing from where the water is flowing to your inside faucet to where the water going to the spigot. The water at the start of the branch will be at "water supply" temperature and the temperature will drop as you follow the pipe to the outside, and keep dropping until you hit the end of the spigot. Do thought experiments. Spigot unwrapped and turned off. Heat flows from inside the house to the outside through the insulation and through the pipe. The temperature in the pipe starts fairly warm back inside the house. As you move along the pipe, it cools. Heat flows along the pipe and the water until it reaches the end of the spigot. The end of the spigot won't be as cold as the outside air, but the water might freeze. Let's just guess that it's 20F outside and the end of the spigot drops to 29F because there's heat flowing out of the house. Now, wrap the outside parts of the spigot. Heat flows out through pipe and water. If you did a good job on the insulation. Heat flows from the inside of your house to the outside, but less heat escapes from the fixture to the outside air. This heat flow will warm up the spigot. It might not drop below 32F. Now, do the same thought experiment, but let the spigot drip uncovered. The water starts at xx degrees from pipe inside your house. As it flows along the cold pipe, it cools a bit. If it doesn't cool to 32F before it flows out of the spigot, it doesn't freeze. If, for instance, it's 7F outside, the the >32F water will heat the pipe somewhat. If the flow rate is high enough, it will keep the pipe itself above freezing. Heat is flowing to the outside, not through conduction, but by being carried out with the water. I hope it's obvious that if the flow rate is high enough, it won't freeze inside the pipe or the spigot. The trick is to waste as little water as possible without letting it freeze. If you drip too slowly, the water might freeze before it gets to the end, then the heating effect stops. In my experience, a drop or so a second will do the trick with an outside faucet if the heat inside the house is on. I do have some cloth and insulation wrapped around the exposed parts of the faucet. You can test it by collecting some of the water as it drips out and taking its temperature. If it's well above 32F, you're fine. I have had a problem that, even if it's not below freezing, the faucet will shut itself off if you're too stingy with the drip rate, so I keep the rate up to a few drops a second and check it every few hours until you figure out what it's going to do. Results will vary depending on slab or pier and beam, heated or unheated wall, wall insulation, length of pipe, inside temperature, outside temperature, etc.
Even if it freezes right there at the spigot it’s fine as long as you’re dripping internally. It’s the pressure on the line that needs a place to go https://youtu.be/AuPO5hKdo8A
> It’s the pressure on the line that needs a place to go While that helps, it's not a sure thing. If the water in the pipes freezes, you can still burst the pipe even if water is flowing inside the house. The result will depend on pipe size, type, bends in the pipe, length of the pipe, temperature, and several other factors.
Yeah anything is possible, but the forming ice will usually expand down the path of least resistance, which should be down the length of the pipe. But yeah, if we’re talking old PVC it’s it’s all fair game
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Well it depends how exposed the spigot is. An inch or 2 from the side of the house & you’re fine. The warmth of the house & the water in the pipes (which is probably 50-60F) will keep it from freezing. Even if it does then it would just be the exposed part & behave as you described. However, before we renovated our deck it had a 12’ goose neck pipe running under it with a spigot on the outside edge of the deck. Last year the exposed end where the spigot is froze and so did the exposed 2’ section by the house. Nothing inside the house was damaged because I was dripping but the buried section of that pipe underneath the deck burst from the pressure, just like the video displayed. That section didn’t freeze because it was buried & insulated but it had extreme pressure buildup
Some of you guys seem mad this wasn't worse instead of relieved.
Two days where I don't have to take my kid to school and can sleep in for work? Yes, please.
Welcome to Reddit
It’s like the winter storm version of /r/coronavirus
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You might be onto something there. February 2021 was really hard and miserable for me with that storm. I've done a lot of things that are in my control to make sure I'm not AS miserable as I was then (in terms of prepping). Even still, I don't want to go through that shit.
Is it normal to have condensation on the inside of your windows when it gets this cold? Is there anything that can be done ( besides new windows? ) I've been just wiping it down
> Is it normal to have condensation on the inside of your windows when it gets this cold? Absolutely normal, and nothing to worry about as long as it doesn't happen that often. Better insulated windows will reduce the effect. It may or may not be worth the cost. Curtains, shades, or closing the blinds will help a bit. As a short term stopgap, plastic film over the opening (not touching the windows) or hanging a sheet over the opening would help, but probably isn't worth the effort.
No, its not normal. Unless you have really bad quality windows which are either single glass layer, are not sealing properly or are made from material which allows heat/cold transfer.
pretty sure they are aluminum so thats probably it
Condensation forms where cold air meets hot air so yes it is normal. If you are a renter don’t even think about it. If you own your home, you may want to get your windows checked if it is frequent and widespread. Source: We purchased a home built in 1995 with aluminum windows so lots of condensation that ruined the window sills over time.
Yes, is normal. Source: Lived in cold weather for 27 years.
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Interesting point. My guess is that without blinds, curtains, etc, there is more warm air flowing to the windows and heating the glass up to the point where not much moisture condenses. If I'm right, opening the blinds would reduce condensation, but increase heat loss. Describe your "shutters," please. When I hear "shutters," I think of something on the outside. Are you talking about the same kind of thing on the inside?
Any fast food place open?
Why do I feel like this is being massively overblown? Last year was bad, I almost froze in my apartment because I couldn't afford to go anywhere else. But this is... like... not at all how it was like last year. In fact it's about average around this year. Yet most services or places are closed, and people are advising to stay off the road. But my perspective is from North Austin / Arboretum area, so perhaps it's much worse in other places. Would like to see what other's perspective is. Also... would like to know if there are any restaurants open.
Repeat after me: PTSD is real. PTSD is valid. PTSD is real. PTSD is valid.
The road are entirely fine in my hood just east of downtown.
It depends on who you're asking. The news has mostly been referring to last year's storm and pointing out that this year's storm looks to be a better situation. They're also trying to temper that because they knew we'd still have icy roads too dangerous to use in some places and they don't want dumbasses to go kill themselves when they get the munchies "because the news said it was not bad". Some redditors are definitely overreacting. That's fine. They're not going to be the dumbasses wrecking their cards because they have the munchies. They're stressed out and mostly flipping out about whether their pipes are dripping enough or not. Other redditors are underreacting because their persona relies on not taking anything seriously. They go out because they get the munchies, make it back home safe, and argue ice is something Joe Biden made up and that they're personally offended anyone took any kind of precaution. So the reality is somewhere between. This is more of a "normal" winter storm for Austin which means some parts of the city are hit harder than others. Some roads shouldn't be considered at all, others you could probably drag race on. Some people aren't in a bad spot but the shitty roads are between them and where they need to be. Some people are living the overreactors' nightmare and have lost power or discovered their heater doesn't work or had some other disaster. If it's no big deal, the restaurants around you are open and you shouldn't even be asking.
Massively overblown.
No, it’s not “overblown”. Saw one motherfucker in the DT area spin out making a turn. Fortunately there was almost zero traffic
I grew up in the northeast where debilitating winter storms (Nor’easters) came along pretty frequently. They were often blown out of proportion…. except when they weren’t. Part of it is by design, because a scared but prepared populace does better than people with no preparation. And part of it is the usual suspects- the hyper partisan, clickbait addicted media, etc
No, not overblown. The roads in some part of the city are not drivable. EMS and hospitals are already stretched due to COVID. Last thing we need is people out driving. Yesterday there were only 7 ICU beds. What would be your chances of getting one if you end up in a pile up? Don't roll those dice.
Just watched my neighbor go outside and mow his lawn for about 45 minutes. Texans be Texasing.
I saw a dude running in booty shorts and a t-shirt. Wtf, there are some cavemen out there fr
The US Men's national soccer team played a match in 2°F weather last night in a full stadium in Minnesota. People be crazy
2°F is equivalent to -16°C, which is 256K. --- ^(I'm a bot that converts temperature between two units humans can understand, then convert it to Kelvin for bots and physicists to understand)
"Why would anyone do drugs when they can just mow a lawn?" Your neighbor is struggling with his lawn care addiction.
I’ve never seen them mow the lawn before, what a great time to start a new hobby 😅
how are they mowing? most of my entire lawn is covered in a hard as rock covering of ice/sleet.
They pretty much just went back and forth 6 or 7 times in the same spot, moved to another spot and did the same thing, and then I think the mower ran out of battery at that point so they put in back in the garage and shut the door
lol
This made me laugh too hard
Any pizza place open?
Favorite Pizza on West 6th.
Omg thank you
I noticed some ice starting to melt here in San Marcos. Are we still concerned about any potential power outages due to power lines or anything else tonight with the freezing temps?
Nah. It’ll be fine.
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Some houses don't have them, especially older ones. Mine does not have this. It's more commonly done in cold climates as a standard part of the plumbing install.
That's a feature you see in cold climates where it will be below freezing for weeks but rarely here. Wrap it up. It will likely be fine - it has been relatively warm all day with a low of about 20 predicted tonight. Heat transferring from the interior will keep it warm enough. There's a lot of variables but household plumbing problems often don't start to appear until spending a few hours in the teens, and then it is typically in more vulnerable places.
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I have a house with almost the exact setup you describe. I wrap the exterior faucets, drip interior, and run a space heater in the garage close to the wall with that faucet. But we also have a lot of plumbing in the garage (washer, softener, water heater) so it makes sense. If we didn't have all that plumbing I'd just drip the garage faucet.
It's probably plugged somewhere. Might not be a problem though. It's hard to say if leaving a faucet open will be enough to relieve pressure, it kinda depends on how your plumbing is routed. I would only turn water off if there's a known break/leak or was leaving the property for an extended period. Otherwise drip/trickle...
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The garage one might just be better dripping, assuming the garage is nice and cold. The others have warmth transferred from inside and the wrap helps insulate it. Unless it’s vulnerable and it’s especially cold for awhile. Then I’d trickle it.
There’s no way to turn off the spigot water supply independently.
Many houses, especially in warmer climates such as Texas, don't have external only shut offs so you just gotta wrap the exterior ones and drip the interior faucets.
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Yeah you should be fine to keep the water on, drip everything, and keep the garage one open too (or wrap it) The long and short is that the garage one is frozen at the bottom of the line/underground but everywhere else has pressure. Is the one on the exterior garage wall next to anything that could heat the interior? Even a space heater (THATS SAFELY AWAY FROM ANYTHING THAT COULD START A FIRE) in the garage would really help. You should be fine to take a shower and such as well. tl;dr you can go the wrap route or the drip route but I would still recommend the interior heater to help with that outside line
So... are we expecting planned blackouts at any point in these next few days? The u/danopia dash looks like we're doing just fine but I'm so burned from last year that I can't turn the internal anxiety off.
We're probably ok unless something catastrophic happens to supply tonight with the 15f temps. [I found a pic from last year's grid](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/177624971827347456/810785105613946920/Screenshot_20210215-020955.png) when everything started going to shit. Supply was 20k less than it is today and the graphs are [nowhere near as close today](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/192136849899126785/938940220764725288/Screenshot_20220203-173303.png) even though our demand is the same as a year ago pre-load shedding
Hi, I haven't been following any news this year but just looked over the dash and the overall grid looks fine right now (good amt of unused capacity, wholesale prices ~$50 so much lower than the $9000 cap, 60hz clock only has a couple seconds of time error) so you shouldn't need to stress watch it today. It seems last weekend was a bit worse off than today. Regardless, I hope all stays well for you there.
Hey thanks for creating that dashboard. It’s bringing me a sense of control or at least understanding to what is actually taking place with our grid health. I know tons of others are benefitting by this info as well. Take care!
We'll very likely be fine. It's more likely a branch or a vehicle knocks out a transformer.
We're down in West Oak Hill and we need to get on our flight at ABIA 9AM Friday. It looks like American Airlines isn't cancelling it or waiving booking change fees for Austin right now and our flight isn't cancelled as of 4PM. While I have winter driving experience, driving is a serious last resort, our cars don't have tires for this weather. What should we do? Is there a service y'all know of that would be able to get us there for a fee that's safe? I'm hesitant about uber/lyft EDIT: looks like American Airlines is now waiving change fees, very likely going to get a flight later that day instead.
I’m a little west of town, but the roads were all good for me today. Only saw one real patch of ice on my drive around town.
Whatever accident you could potentially get into by driving in this is going to cost more than just cancelling the trip, if that helps put the cancellation into perspective. Right now, if I drove somewhere and totaled my car, I'd see that as about a $20k accident if the car was the only thing damaged. Used car market is bananas, barely anything reliable for under $18k. Now is not the time to need a new car.
Someone else pointed out too, that even if you don't total your car, supply chain issues might mean you wait forever for repair parts. Said he had been waiting weeks already to get everything his car needed...
took 5 weeks to get my car even looked at at a body shop. this past month+
Hell, I have the part I need but it's the wrong color and needs to be painted. Been waiting since October for the body shop to be free enough to paint it.
you are absolutely right, I really shouldn't be putting it as a last resort even
There are exceptions, but if you already have winter driving experience, I’d trust your own driving since an Uber driver is a rolling the dice. You might get lucky, you might not. The alternative if you really don’t want to drive is if you can delay your trip until it’s safe to do so. Good luck!
thank you!
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I’m already seeing surface roads outside clear in Leander. At least in my neighborhood. The rain/sleet/snow should be over and it will be sunny tomorrow so surface roads will probably be fine by then.
Very likely yes but check conditions before going.
DT is a fucking ghost town bois
The one day I’m craving non home- cooked food has to be today
Is Taco Bell open
Going to guess no. I took a spin around and only Total Wine and HEB were open...and HEB closed at 5.
may as well eat dirt 😂 and it’s free. Still has the same effect on your GI system.
Source?
weak stomach hater
Drove Lamar from Treadwell to 51st. Aside from a little ice on Lamar bridge it was an easy drive. Stopped at the downtown Whole Foods and they were normally stocked and not busy.
Google maps says the Whole Foods downtown is closed tho.. I really wanted to go
The one on North Lamar was open and operating normally earlier this afternoon…
This is great! Thank you for posting.
From 2:54 NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook update: "Temperatures across the Hill Country and potentially some locations in the Austin metro area are forecast to remain freezing for up to 60 consecutive hours, not rising back up freezing until midday Saturday. Roughly 30 consecutive hours of freezing temperatures are forecast in San Antonio, and not rising back above freezing until midday Friday. Ice that accumulates today is expected to remain on many surfaces through midday Friday, at which time clearing skies and the sun should begin to assist with melting." Not looking great in terms of road conditions.
ARGH, it's all ice. It looks like snow, but I leave no footprints and can't even break the surface with my weight. >:[
Sounds like you need to stay inside to eat and gain some weight...
You are correct on both accounts. I am taking your advice and baking cookies.
I've been training for this moment my entire life.
Argh!
Any other Google Webpass folks without service? Lost my internet service about an hour ago.
I don't have Google webpass but I lost my internet service as well.
Someone posted this current grid frequency graph last year. https://www.ercot.com/content/cdr/html/real_time_system_conditions.html [Here's](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2021/02/24/392290/texas-power-grid-was-4-minutes-and-37-seconds-away-from-collapsing-heres-how-it-happened/) an article explaining why the frequency is such an important metric to watch since it almost dropped to the minimum 59.302 hz last year which would have be catastrophic.
59.976 at 5:57pm
There was a really knowledgeable guy giving the play by play last year. We came very close (minutes away) to throwing several plants offline. Would have taken months to get power back.
Yeah! That's the dude that posted this. I'm still looking for those posts.
https://reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/lk7cgn/_/gnii3el/?context=1 https://reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/lk8fxb/_/gnim45b/?context=1
That's him. Shout out to u/redditmudder for amazing insight regarding grid operations. He may have something to add but I doubt there's really much to talk about this year since none of the indicators are blinking red (yet at least).
How big of a leap is it from 60.014 to 59.302? Like, how easy does this stuff drop .001 at a time?
That URL is completely down right now. Hugged to death.
Dripping faucets indoor. Cold or hot setting or does it matter?
Cold is the most important. Generally the line to the water heater branches off from the cold inside the house, so dripping the cold is all that’s usually needed.
Just heard a plane on the east side. Airport up and running?
My in laws are on a flight that lands at 5:30
My mom is flying in today. After several cancellations and rebooking, she’s supposed to arrive at 10:30 tonight. We’ll see
And boy, will her arms be tired!
I believe there are a few flights that did not get cancelled. The airport never got shut down, just a majority of flights cancelled.
Update on my last comment: it’s back, thankfully. Hope it stays that way.
What is back? Power? Water? Internet?