Texas power outages visible from space during winter storm. Look at the stark change

The hugeness of millions of Texans struggling without power is perhaps best illustrated by a view from space.

By now, many have seen effects of the winter storm from close-up views: water from burst pipes cascading down apartment buildings, a car frozen in a massive ice block and icicles growing out of ceiling fans.

But the massiveness of the electricity catastrophe was captured by satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On Wednesday, NOAA released before-and-after images of the power outages across the southern swath of Texas. The first images show cities lit up on Jan. 31. The second depicts a troubling darkness during cold weather on Tuesday night.

“Noticeable dimming can be seen around much of metropolitan Houston — indicative of power outages — as well as in portions of San Antonio and Austin,” NOAA said in a news release. “The storm brought frigid temperatures, some of the lowest in decades, which crippled electric grids and left millions without power in several states.”

Texas, in particular, has struggled as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the state’s energy grid, has asked power companies to implement rotating blackouts due to a limited supply of power.

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