Texas heatwave an 'exceptional event driven by climate change,' scientist says

[bronxiteforever]

KXAN
by: David Yeomans
Posted: Jun 13, 2023 / 05:56 PM CDT
Updated: Jun 13, 2023 / 06:10 PM CDT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — “The types of temperatures that we’re seeing this week are extremely unlikely to happen in a world without climate change,” MIT climate scientist Dr. Daniel Gilford said.

Record-setting June heatwave builds
As the First Warning Weather team predicts Austin’s hottest June 14-20 period on record with an average high temperature of 104°+ over the next week, a new tool from Climate Central attributes the heat wave to manmade climate change.

“The Climate Shift Index is a tool that helps us discover the fingerprints of climate change on our day-to-day weather,” Gilford, who works with Climate Central, said.

The tool examines the frequency of Austin’s temperatures throughout history, both in an unaltered past climate and in the current human-altered climate. It then compares the probability of recording given temperatures today versus recording that same temperature in the past. According to Climate Central’s analysis, Austin’s high temperatures by Thursday afternoon exceeding 100° are at least five times more likely because of climate change.
More here

https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/texas-heatwave-an-exceptional-event-driven-by-climate-change-scientist-says/

[GenXer47]

1. overnight lows of 77

Wow. Of course the AC's will be cranking, further exacerbating the problem.

[dutch777]

2. How long before the power grid has issues? I m sure Gov Abbot has it all handled.

Others will be blamed if it breaks bad.

[mountain grammy]

6. Oh no worries..

I'm sure Abbot's A/C will work fine.

[hatrack]

10. Whatever happens, it'll be Hunter Biden Something Something

.

[yowzayowzayowza]

3. Installed 23 Solar Panels on ...

my Austin home last August, so I will be bolstering the grid and banking for winter. Score one for renewables!

[Shipwack]

4. Interesting... I live nearby in Elgin...

Does your electric company really allow you to save up energy credits for use later?

I just installed my panels in July, but all I get is credit for that day. If I export more than I import, I pay nothing, more or less, but I get no credits for later use.

So far almost every day since then I have had a surplus. I still owe the power company about $30 a month for connection fees, though.

Am I getting screwed? This is the most complicated (and expensive!) time I have ever had getting electricity. I've been all over the country, but this power grid is the least reliable and most expensive.

[Finishline42]

7. If what you say holds...

Maybe it's time to add some sort of storage - Powerwall or similar. I know they aren't cheap but with a Powerwall you maybe able to sell power back to the grid during peak demand periods?


https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/16/23512979/tesla-electric-launch-texas-powerwall-virtual-power-plant-vpp

[Shipwack]

8. I've considered a power wall

But it would have added a third to the installation cost, and the contractor told me they have only a 10 year lifespan. I plan on revisiting the tech iN a few years, though.

Thank you for the link!

[hatrack]

11. Doesn't have to be a Powerwall . . .

I work for an environmental organization, and one thing we have is a energy-efficiency demonstration house.

We're grid interconnected with our solar system, and the (small) battery backup is old-fashioned lead-acid batteries, installed about 10 years ago. They're still at 96% of original rated capacity, so that might be worth investigating (and likely less costly).

[Shipwack]

12. Wow! Thank you very much for the advice.

I'll keep on investigating options.

Lord know that I've got to have some sort of back-up plan if I'm on the Texas power grid...

[yowzayowzayowza]

9. Yes, my bill carries a credit.

I am more interested in EV as home backup and looking to configure accordingly. A dedicated battery for the house seems excessive, even with the poor Texas grid.

Sorry for the tardy reply.

[Danascot]

5. We were in an RV visiting Austin

in May 2022. It was over 100° in the late afternoon. Too hot to even go out. We left and headed west to higher elevations and cooler temperatures.