Comment During Wednesday’s 3 p.m. weather report, Travis Herzog, a meteorologist for KTRK in Houston, stood in front of a screen showing the astronomically high temperatures that are boiling over Texas – up to 105 degrees in College Station. When you “have that kind of heat in large populations,” Herzog explained, “you get a lot of pull from that electricity demand.” But just before Herzog uttered the word “electric,” the lights went out, turning Herzog into a silhouette in front of the weather map. “Looks like we may have just switched to generator electricity. our lights just went out,” Herzog said before going on to talk about the “excessive heat” in some Texas cities. Seconds later, the lights came back on. But two hours later, it happened again. As Herzog warned of triple-digit heat in some parts of Texas on the 5 p.m. broadcast, the lights went out. “Maybe it’s just my electrifying personality, maybe not,” Herzog tweeted. “But this time I was fully expecting Ashton Kutcher to come in the corner and say, ‘YOU WAKE UP!’ “ But hey, the show must go on! And to be clear, we’re not sure why the power went out temporarily in our building. What I can tell you is that grid conditions are getting really tight. Hopefully we can get through it with the lights and A/C ON! — Travis Herzog (@TravisABC13) July 13, 2022 The quirky moments came as Texas is experiencing a record-breaking heat wave that is pushing the state’s power grid to its limits. Last week, Texas experienced triple-digit temperatures in several cities, prompting state energy officials to ask residents to conserve energy and turn up their thermostats. Extreme heat tops 110 in Texas as power grid nears cliff edge Concerns about power outages during extreme weather have left residents stranded, the Texas Tribune reported. In February 2021, 3.5 million Texans lost power amid a record cold snap, in which temperatures in some areas plunged to freezing. Over 200 people died. This month, it’s the heat that has become dangerous. In Houston, where Herzog works, temperatures reached 105 degrees on Sunday, making it the hottest July day in the city’s history. That day, College Station, north of Houston, reached 111 degrees, its second hottest day on record. San Antonio has reached at least 100 degrees on a record 35 days this year. The dangerously high temperatures are expected to affect the neighboring countries as well. Nationally, summers are getting hotter and longer thanks to climate change, resulting in wildfires, droughts and floods, depending on the region, the Washington Post reported. Summer in America is getting hotter, longer and more dangerous Herzog tweeted Wednesday that he didn’t know exactly why the lights went out twice during his shows. He explained that the screen behind him and other production equipment are connected to a backup power source, which is why he didn’t go on air. “What I can tell you is that grid conditions are getting really tight,” Herzog wrote. “Hopefully we can get through this with the lights and A/C ON!”
