Editing Austin, Texas (section)

==== 2021 winter storm ====
{{main|February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm#Central and Southern Plains}}
{{see also|2021 Texas power crisis}}

[[File:Austin, Texas covered in snow ESA23166430.jpeg|thumb|Austin covered in snow on February 15, 2021. Photo from [[ESA]].]]
In February 2021, [[Winter Storm Uri]] dropped prolific amounts of snow across Texas and Oklahoma, including Austin. The Austin area received a total of {{convert|6.4|in}} of snowfall between February 14 and 15, with snow cover persisting until February 20.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=ewx |title=Climate |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=December 23, 2021 |archive-date=April 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409223456/https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=ewx |url-status=live }}</ref> 
This marked the longest time the area had had more than {{convert|1|in}} of snow, with the previous longest time being three days in [[1985 North American cold wave|January 1985]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bannin |first1=Nick |title=Austin breaks record for consecutive days of snow on the ground |url=https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/austin-breaks-record-for-consecutive-days-of-snow-on-the-ground |website=KXAN Austin |publisher=KXAN |access-date=15 November 2021 |date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115045008/https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/austin-breaks-record-for-consecutive-days-of-snow-on-the-ground/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lack of [[winterization]] in [[Gas-fired power plant|natural gas power plants]], which supply a large amount of power to the [[Texas Interconnection|Texas grid]], and increased energy demand caused [[Electric Reilability Council of Texas|ERCOT]] and [[Austin Energy]] to enact [[rolling blackouts]] in order to avoid total grid collapse between February 15 and February 18.<ref>{{cite web |title=February 2021 Winter Storms After-Action Report February 11 – 20 |url=https://austinenergy.com/wcm/connect/482f26ba-7c94-465a-8a00-59bd65f33967/Feb2021-WinterStormsAfterActionReport.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=nPGWQUI |publisher=Austin Energy |access-date=15 November 2021 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115045004/https://austinenergy.com/wcm/connect/482f26ba-7c94-465a-8a00-59bd65f33967/Feb2021-WinterStormsAfterActionReport.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=nPGWQUI }}</ref> Initial rolling blackouts were to last for a maximum of 40 minutes, however lack of energy production caused many blackouts to last for much longer, at the peak of the blackouts an estimated 40% of Austin Energy homes were without power.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Autullo |first1=Ryan |title='Basically we're stuck here': 40% of Austin Energy homes without power amid failed 'rotating blackouts' |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/02/15/austin-power-outage-40-without-power-amid-austin-energys-rolling-blackouts/6752667002/ |website=Austin American-Statesman |access-date=15 November 2021 |date=15 February 2021 |archive-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215203200/https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/02/15/austin-power-outage-40-without-power-amid-austin-energys-rolling-blackouts/6752667002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Starting on February 15, Austin Water received reports of pipe breaks, hourly water demand increased from 150 million gallons per day on February 15 to a peak hourly demand of 260 million gallons per day on February 16. On the morning of February 17 demand increased to 330 million gallons per day, the resulting drop of water pressure caused the Austin area to enter into a [[boil-water advisory]] which would last until water pressure was restored on February 23.<ref>{{cite web |title=Austin Water Winter Strom Uri After Action Report |url=http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Water/AW_WinterStorm_Report.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Water/AW_WinterStorm_Report.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |website=Austin Water |access-date=15 November 2021 |date=3 November 2021}}</ref>