Extreme weather events are expanding — the US power grid is not

A Michigan utility recently pledged to strengthen its grid after an ice storm shut off the lights for hundreds of thousands in a days-long outage. In late 2022, grid operators in the Mid-Atlantic and South asked residents to conserve power, and some even conducted rolling blackouts because of the harsh weather. And, perhaps most egregious of all, a deadly winter storm wreaked absolute havoc on the Texas power grid in February 2021.

It’s undeniable: extreme weather is increasing in frequency and intensity, and the U.S. power grid remains ill-equipped to handle it.