Oklahoma Power Grid Issues ‘Resource Advisory’ Due to Winter Weather

Most people in Oklahoma and Texas are scarred from the winter storm of 2021 due to the failures of the power grids. Winter weather made its return this week, and the power grid that covers Oklahoma has issued a "Resource Advisory" due to the winter precipitation and freezing temperatures.

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is the power grid that covers Oklahoma and 13 other states. The advisory doesn't require these states to conserve energy, like some may remember in 2021. The purpose of the advisory is to "raise awareness of potential threats to reliability among entities responsible for operating transmission and generation facilities."

SPP issued the advisory on Monday, Jan. 6, which is the day after Winter Storm Blair blew in freezing temperatures and some winter precipitation into Oklahoma. But Kansas is one the SPP's states that was hit hard by Winter Storm Blair and had hundreds of people without power on Monday morning.

SPP advisory will in place through Wednesday.

The Resource Advisory from SPP is expected to be in effect until noon on Wednesday, Jan. 8 before Oklahoma receives another bout of winter. According to an article from Oklahoma Energy Today, the advisory was mostly issued due to the below average temperatures, potential for outages and reduction in wind output due to possible icing, mostly due to Winter Storm Blair.

How to prepare for winter storm power outages.

Oklahomans were unprepared for the power outages during the winter storm of 2021. More winter weather is expected later this week, and Oklahoma could see another system move through later in January. Oklahoma has also seen significant winter storms into February, so there's still a few more weeks of winter to go.

If Oklahomans want to be more prepared for power outages during a winter storm, they will want to practice safe heating measures and protect their home from damage due to the storm. Check out our cold weather checklist below.