ERCOT

Austin ISD and the University of Texas announced their campuses will remain closed Tuesday.

Travel is discouraged as accumulated sleet and freeing rain make roads, bridges and overpasses "extremely dangerous" and travel "near impossible in many areas."

The National Weather Service says the Austin area can expect freezing temperatures this weekend, along with wind chills in the single digits and the possibility of freezing rain or sleet.

Subfreezing temperatures are expected by Friday as arctic air moves into Texas, with some areas possibly staying below freezing through Monday before warming into the lower 40s on Tuesday.

The overnight windchill could put people and pets at risk of hypothermia. Plants and pipes will need to be protected as temperatures drop below freezing.

Experts were skeptical of a report from the Texas grid operator showing the state could run short of power by 2026.

After a statewide blackout in 2021 and a massive Austin outage in 2023, cold weather means energy anxiety for many in Central Texas.

The Austin area is expected to get 1-2 inches of a wintry mix of snow and sleet on Monday and Tuesday. Austin ISD and other local school districts have announced closures for Tuesday.

A home builder and an electricity retailer are partnering to install backup power batteries in new homes as Texans brace for potential outages this winter.

The Southern Spirit Transmission project would allow limited energy to flow between the Texas grid and neighboring grids.