NERC is monitoring the extreme cold weather events forecast across much of North America over the next several weeks. The weather pattern is expected to bring extremely cold temperatures, damaging winds, snow, and freezing rain to midwestern, eastern, and southern states. There could be a series of successive events that could create challenges for those reliant on inventoried fuels. NERC urges everyone in the electricity supply chain to take steps to ensure the highest levels of reliability. NERC is especially concerned about natural gas supply given the significant amount of production in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
The incoming arctic blast is expected to move into the U.S. just after the new year and may bring the coldest January in more than a decade. The jet stream pattern, which has been generally west to east, will soon develop a large southbound buckle. The expected cold air of this magnitude over hundreds of thousands of square miles could cause power grid issues, with the potential for rolling blackouts. While the cold is expected to linger for most of the month, details on specific storms will come as they occur.
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