Winter Storm Warnings in 25 States Including Texas
Unusual Cold and Heavy Snow Mainly in Southern Regions
Power Consumption Rises, Electricity Restrictions in 14 States
COVID-19 Vaccines Also at Risk of Disposal
Oil Prices Surpass $60 per Barrel
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Due to the severe cold wave and winter storm that struck the central and southern regions of the United States, restricted power transmission has begun in 14 states. With cold wave warnings already issued for 150 million residents across 25 states, the situation is worsening.
The severe cold wave is causing significant fluctuations in international oil prices, and the damage from the cold wave in the U.S. is spreading further.
On the 15th (local time), the U.S. National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and other alerts for 25 states from Maine near the eastern Canadian border to Texas in the central south.
Meteorological experts explained that heavy snowfall occurred in states near the Gulf of Mexico such as Texas and Louisiana, as well as Oklahoma, due to the influence of a strong high-pressure system extending down from the Arctic Circle.
Record-breaking cold with temperatures reaching minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 22 degrees Celsius) hit the usually mild climates of northern Oklahoma and Texas.
In areas where snow is usually rare, heavy snowfall caused traffic paralysis and many residents scrambled to stockpile food and gasoline, creating chaos.
Seven state governments including Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Texas declared a state of emergency in preparation for the cold wave.
President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency the day before to support the cold wave damage in the Texas area, but it was insufficient to prevent the spread of damage.
In Texas, emergency rotating blackouts began for 2.6 million households due to increased power consumption caused by the winter storm. This restricted blackout, implemented for the first time in over 10 years, has caused many residents to endure extreme cold.
Southwest Power Pool, which supplies electricity to 14 states from northern North Dakota to central southern Oklahoma, also announced restricted power transmission.
A resident said, "It is rare to see snow in Texas, but now we cannot operate the boiler, and the water pipes have frozen, so we cannot even use water," expressing frustration.
Restricted power transmission has also caused an emergency in COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require special ultra-cold storage, but if power outages prevent frozen storage, the vaccines cannot be used.
Accordingly, in Houston, Texas, health authorities issued an urgent directive to administer about 8,000 doses of vaccines that had become unusable due to exposure to room temperature caused by the power outage within the day.
The severe cold in Texas also pushed up oil prices. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil surpassed $60 per barrel that morning. Due to the cold, oil field and refinery operations in Texas are restricted, and natural gas supply is also disrupted.
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