Rocket City stays on ice as TVA announces record-setting week
As the winter weather continues to bring the Rocket City to a standstill, the City of Huntsville announced continued closures until Monday morning.
“The main thing is we just want everyone to be safe and use caution on the roads,” Mayor Battle said. “This has been an unprecedented ice event, and we thank all the City employees who have worked tirelessly for our citizens.”
On top of the closures, Huntsville citizens are bracing for a chilly weekend as temperatures are expected to fall back below freezing tonight and stay low throughout the weekend.
And, after five days of ice closures, the winter weather has put an intense strain on emergency services and resources. Mayor Battle urged the North Alabama community to remain patient with Huntsville emergency services, who are already stretched thin.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced record setting numbers for energy usage, surpassing last year’s winter weather that led to power outages around Madison County.
The TVA reported that Wednesday, January 17, saw a preliminary all-time record peak demand of 34,523 megawatts. While the peak captures how much power was delivered for that one hour at the highest demand, TVA also set records in the amount of energy delivered in a 24-hour period.
On Wednesday alone, TVA delivered 725 GWh of energy, the second highest amount of energy delivered in one day. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, TVA set a record for the highest amount of energy delivered in a 48-hour period.
“TVA remains in a healthy system position with our generating plants operating as planned and transmission system intact with no critical lines out. With relatively high demands expected through the weekend, we have called on all TVA contracted generation resources and made system purchases as needed,” said a TVA spokesperson in a recent press statement.
TVA officials continue to urge all residents to limit usage to only what is necessary. The Huntsville Business Journal urges our readers to tune into your local news station to stay weather aware throughout the weekend.
