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Insights > Entergy Mississippi is prepared for wintry weather, cold temps
Entergy Mississippi is prepared for wintry weather, cold temps
01/14/2024
While restoring power outages caused by severe weather and high winds that moved through the state Friday, Entergy Mississippi has also been monitoring and is prepared to respond to another major weather event expected across our service territory early this week.
Our crews have restored power to more than 27,800 customers affected by the thunderstorms and damaging winds that swept across Mississippi on January 12. We are also ready for the potentially disruptive wintry weather and extremely cold temperatures that are set to arrive on Monday throughout Mississippi. National Weather Service officials say the next few days will see the likelihood of frozen precipitation and extremely dangerous low temperatures across the service territory.
The arctic weather will be a one-two punch for our employees and customers alike: First, the possibility of ice, snow, and/or freezing rain Monday, followed by days of extremely low temperatures. Hard freezes for extended periods, with some lows diving into the teens and single digits, are expected.
Entergy Mississippi is ready to respond
While the impacts of possible winter weather are very hard to predict, we are geared up to respond to whatever Mother Nature delivers. In addition to our internal workforce, we are prepared to acquire off-site resources to help restore power as needed. We continue refining the number of additional resources based on the latest weather forecasts.
Entergy Mississippi has performed necessary winterization measures and other seasonal assessments on our power plants, transmission lines and facilities, and any other equipment and assets that can be affected by the cold. This includes inspecting and maintaining substations and transmission lines and testing equipment to identify any potential equipment performance issues.
Be prepared
We urge our customers, employees and the public to prepare now and work safely. Be sure to report any outages you experience to Entergy. You can find these resources and more on our Storm Center. Share with your family and friends to ensure personal emergency plans are set:
- Get prepared: Make a plan, make a kit.
- Prepare your home: Winterize inside and out.
- Your mobile phone: A lifeline during a disaster.
- Stay informed: Download the app, report an outage.
- Stay safe: Safety after the storm.
- Generator safety: Know the hazards.
- Gas safety: Know the signs.
- Extreme cold safety: Indoor and outdoor tips.
Energy Mississippi encourages its customers to verify their contact information in their online myEntergy account before severe weather strikes, so they receive our notifications. If a storm impacts your area, you can report an outage quickly and easily through our digital options – using either our free mobile app, online at myEntergy.com, or by texting OUT to 36778.
We’re storm ready, 365 days a year
When a winter weather threat is predicted, we ramp up support. Our year-round storm preparations include the vegetation management program and the targeted “ground to sky” vegetation trimming, which removes tree limbs that would normally have been above the power line. We also use artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to help predict when trimming may be needed. And, we’ve taken measures in advance to ensure we’re winter-ready. Read more about our winter preparedness efforts.
Ice is particularly harmful to electrical lines
Heavy snow and ice can bring down power lines. In fact, ice can increase the weight of branches by 30 times. In fact, only one-half inch of ice can add 500 pounds of weight on power lines, as well as tree limbs that can then fall onto power lines and people. It’s safest to avoid the area near ice-laden power lines and tree limbs. Extreme cold can make materials like wood and metal brittle.
Sometimes, ice can impact transmission lines and cause them to “gallop,” which can result in a power outage. This is a slow, “skipping rope” motion of power lines that occurs when rain freezes to the power lines, and then steady winds cause adjacent lines to move and sometimes contact one another.
Restoring power in extreme cold is different
The restoration process is done in an orderly, deliberate manner. As soon as it’s safe to work, our crews start turning the light back on for our customers. Restoration efforts begin as scouts start assessing the storm’s damage, and crews start needed repairs at the source and work outward. Certain types of work, such as repairs requiring the use of bucket trucks, cannot be safely completed when winds exceed 30 miles per hour.
When temperatures are extremely cold, we must bring customers back online one section at a time, rather than simply energizing a line all at once. Restoring all customers on the same power line simultaneously can create large, instantaneous power demands. The instant demand is different than day-to-day operations and could be higher than the built-in protective devices on lines were designed to handle. This is done for the safety of our customers, and to avoid damaging to our system or making the system worse.
Customers can help, too
During a winter storm, many customers leave their heating system and appliance turned on. If your power goes out, when power returns there may be too much energy demand on the grid all at once. This can cause additional problems. Customers without power can help by turning off major appliances. Leave on a lamp or other light to indicate when power is restored, then gradually turn on other appliances to spread out the increase in power usage over a longer period of time.
