U.S. Energy Infrastructure Braces for Winter Storm

---

Written by Maria Sanchez, Senior Natural Gas Analyst, and Aaron Studwell, Ph.D., Energy Meteorologist & Analyst for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

---

Summary

A major winter storm could impact energy infrastructure across the U.S.

---

Storm to Bring Cold, Snow, Ice Across U.S.

A major winter storm this week is expected to impact the U.S., from the southern Plains to the Northeast, bringing extreme cold, heavy snow and significant icing that could disrupt transportation, power systems and energy infrastructure through early next week.

IIR Energy's Breaking Energy News (BEN) reported this story on Thursday.

Multiple energy pipelines, including NGPL, Horizon, WBI, CIG, REX, Tallgrass and SSC, have issued winter weather alert notices. El Paso Pipeline noted the potential for freeze-offs in the Texas Panhandle and the Permian Basin, as well as maximum storage withdrawals as needed at its Washington Ranch facility.

Freeze-offs disrupt supply, resulting in production drops, significantly impacting homes and power grids. As seen over the past few days, natural gas price spikes and energy market volatility are observed.

Click on the image at right for examples of IIR Energy pipeline weather alerts.

Winter Storm Fern

Winter Storm Fern is expected to bring widespread heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the Southern Rockies/Plains into the Mid-South beginning Friday, spreading eastward to the Mid-Atlantic and New England this weekend. An Arctic front will bring frigid temperatures and gusty winds that will lead to dangerous wind chills from the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest.

For the U.S., a winter storm warning extends across Oklahoma and most of Arkansas. Surrounding winter headlines include winter weather advisories in the central Rockies, focused over the higher terrain of Colorado and adjacent mountain zones. Additional winter weather advisories are in effect in the northern Great Lakes region, including parts of Michigan.

Winter storm watches are currently in effect from New Mexico, extending east across the central and southern Plains, the mid-Mississippi Valley, the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, to the Eastern Seaboard. Along the East Coast, these watches reach from North Carolina to New York. With the northerly shift in storm track, winter storm watches now extend across portions of the Great Lakes region and into northern New England.

Extreme cold warnings are in effect across the northern Plains and the upper Midwest for the next several days.

Click on the image at right for a National Weather Service map showing the areas in the U.S. most likely to receive the greatest impact from the storm.

Key Takeaways

• Multiple pipelines have issued winter weather alert notices.
• Freeze-offs disrupt supply, resulting in production drops, significantly impacting homes and power grids.
• Natural gas price spikes and energy market volatility are observed.

---

About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).