Ice and freezing conditions from winter storm are impacting Greater Houston overnight and this morning; Precipitation expected to clear by mid-to-late morning
Hard freezes around 20 degrees are forecasted Sunday night and Monday night and can impact electric equipment as well
3,300+ workers are fully mobilized and conducting damage assessments and restoring power safely and as quickly as possible.
Less than 2,000 electric customers currently impacted; Approximately 27,000 customers already restored since Saturday 6:00 AM
HOUSTON, Jan. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With the winter storm impacting the Greater Houston area overnight and additional waves of winter weather this morning, CenterPoint Energy expanded restoration workforce is actively deployed throughout the area to assess weather-related damages, repair critical electric equipment damaged by the storm, and restore customers' electric service safely and quickly. Winter weather conditions including winds, precipitation, some ice accumulation and freezing temperatures impacted the electric system overnight. As of 6 a.m., approximately 2,000 customers are experiencing weather-related outages which represents less than 1% of the 2.9 million customers that CenterPoint serves across 12 counties. Since Saturday at 6 a.m., approximately 27,000 customers have already been restored.
"Any outage is one too many for us and that's why our expanded team of 3,300 workers remain focused on our customers and communities and restoring anyone who may be out of service due to the winter weather impacts. We would like to thank all of our customers for their patience and support, our local agency partners for all their efforts during these weather impacts, and all the dedicated frontline personnel who are braving extreme conditions to help our communities. We won't stop until everyone's power service is restored," said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint Energy Vice President of Resilience and Capital Delivery.
Safety reminder: Wires down
The company reminds customers and community members to always assume downed lines or wires are energized and potentially dangerous if contacted. Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines or fallen wires and a similar safe distance from objects touching downed lines (tree limbs, vehicles, fences, etc.) and immediately report downed power lines to CenterPoint.
Actions CenterPoint is taking to respond
CenterPoint activated its Emergency Operations Center on January 21, and has been actively preparing for the impacts caused by winter storm, including:
- Deploying restoration electric workforce: Readying 3,300-person expanded workforce to support winter storm response and address potential equipment damage and outages.
- Staging more than 700 frontline natural gas workers to respond safely and quickly around the clock to any gas emergency calls and service interruptions;
- Keeping customers informed: Sharing safety and preparedness information and resources with CenterPoint customers through direct outreach, social media and other channels.
- Inspecting and testing critical electric equipment, including all 270 electric substations, executing enhanced tree trimming and conducting inspections to prepare for wintery precipitation and cold temperatures;
- Prepping and pre-staging electric restoration equipment at staging sites, including
- More than 9,200 distribution poles;
- More than 11,500 transformers;
- More than 100,000 cable splices; and
- More than 1,500 vehicles;
- Conducting outreach to Critical Care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone or text.
- Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to government officials on preparation activities and closely coordinating on customer support.
- Providing operational updates for media and public: Conducting daily press briefings to provide important updates related to its pre-storm activities and readiness posture; additional briefings may be held to provide operational updates on response and restoration efforts following the storm.
These emergency preparedness actions build on the winter readiness activities that CenterPoint conducted since the fall of 2025, including annual weatherization requirements from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and Railroad Commission to prepare for winter storms. These actions include:
- Donated and installed more than 20 emergency backup generators at key locations across Greater Houston to improve local emergency preparedness and response efforts;
- Positioning 17 compressed natural gas (CNG) trailers to provide additional supply for our customers, if needed, adding an additional trailer today to help strengthen preparedness;
- Inspecting nearly 200 natural gas regulator stations and installing heaters on equipment to prevent ice damage; and
- Conducted more than 19,000 total hours of emergency training in 2025 for hundreds of operational, emergency response and other personnel and contractors to strengthen severe weather preparation and response efforts.
Stay informed with Power Alert Service®
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive winter storm outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email.
Track what's happening in your neighborhood on Outage Tracker
Customers can also stay up to date on outages with CenterPoint's Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish. The Outage Tracker is built to handle increased traffic during storms, is mobile-friendly, accessible for those with disabilities and allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.
Customers can get storm-related electric and natural gas safety tips and the latest information at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.
About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of September 30, 2025, the company owned approximately $45 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.
For more information, contact:
Communications
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com
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SOURCE CenterPoint Energy
