More than 1,000 Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative customers in the Austin suburb of Manor rolled out of bed Friday to find the lights off, the heat out and some traffic signals dark, as a cluster of power outages hit neighborhoods east of the city on a cold winter morning. Crews were quickly dispatched while residents tried to salvage their morning routines by flashlight and phone screen.
According to the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative outage map, the largest outage in Manor initially affected about 1,144 customers before the count settled near 950. That pocket of customers went down around 8:35 a.m. Friday. The map lists start times for reported outages and shows crews assigned to specific feeders as the co-op works its way through the problem areas.
As reported by MySanAntonio, two smaller pockets were also logged: an estimated 215-customer outage in the Aus-Tex Acres Lane area north of U.S. Hwy. 290 East that began about 7:53 a.m., and a roughly 206-customer outage around Woodrow Wilson Street that started about 8:26 a.m. Residents in those neighborhoods described lights flickering and briefly snapping back on, only to go out again as crews worked the lines.
Where Outages Are Concentrated
The co-op's live viewer shows outages clustered along the Hwy. 290 corridor east of Austin, with nested “pocket” outages that can stick around even after a larger feeder is repaired, according to the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative outage map. Crews were shown moving between multiple locations to isolate faults and complete repairs, although no firm restoration estimate had been posted early Friday.
Restoration Status
MySanAntonio reported that across Bluebonnet's service area there were 27 reported outages as of 8:50 a.m., affecting more than 6,400 customers. Just before 9 a.m., about 3,529 customers still lacked power while nearly 3,000 had been restored. The outlet noted that crews had been assigned, but the co-op had not released a comprehensive restoration timeline.
Winter Storm Risk
The outages arrive as the National Weather Service has a Winter Storm Watch and an Extreme Cold Watch posted for parts of Central Texas, according to NWS Austin/San Antonio. Forecasters warned that freezing rain or ice could weigh down tree limbs and power lines, boosting the odds of additional outages and making repairs slower and more complicated.
Bluebonnet members can report outages by calling 800-949-4414 or by using the co-op's online outage map. Residents are urged to stay away from downed power lines and to treat dark intersections like four-way stops. This story will be updated as crews make progress in the affected Manor neighborhoods.
