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.

ERCOT, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, issued a weather watch advisory ahead of the arctic blast hitting Texas this weekend. The weather watch advisory will be from Monday, January 20 to Thursday, January 23. The state grid warns Texans the cold weather could cause a higher electrical demand and the potential for lower reserves.

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

According to Operations Messages on the ERCOT website, around 5 a.m. ERCOT issued a Transmission Emergency in South and Southeast Texas.

Areas around Houston could receive up to six inches of snow, which would rank among the heaviest snowfalls ever for the city. Winter Storm Warnings stretch as far south as the Rio Grande.

ERCOT leaders said they've been keeping a close eye on the state's power grid during the extremely cold weather across Texas.