While the snow and ice were enough to shut down the state for a few days, it was the duration of the cold that set the disaster apart.
Temperatures across Texas remained below freezing for days, compounding stress on power plants, natural gas facilities, water systems, and homes built for heat, not hard freezes. As demand for electricity surged, critical infrastructure began to fail.
The February 2021 freeze became one of the deadliest and costliest disasters in state history. Over multiple days, the cold wave exposed deep weaknesses in Texas’ power grid and emergency preparedness.
How cold did it get and for how long?
Parts of Texas endured the longest stretches below freezing in modern records.
- Waco: 8.5 days (205 hours)
- Downtown Austin: 6 days ( 144 hours)
- Austin-Airport: 7 days (164 hours)
- San Antonio: 4.5 days (108 hours)
- Dallas-Fort Worth area: 4 days (93 hours)
- Houston: 2 days (44 hours)
But it was the collapse of the state’s power grid that turned a severe winter event into a humanitarian crisis.
As temperatures plunged, demand for electricity soared while power plants — including natural gas, coal, nuclear and wind facilities — went offline. Equipment froze and supply chains for natural gas faltered, prompting controlled power outages to prevent a total system collapse.
At the peak, more than 4 million Texas utility customers were without electricity, many for days. Without power, homes became dangerously cold. Hospitals and nursing homes struggled with generator failures. Water systems lost pressure, triggering boil-water notices for millions, and burst pipes flooded homes across Texas.