HOUSTON – You probably heard a buzz this morning, followed by an explosion with an arcing blue light shooting across the sky.
LIVE BLOG: The worst of Beryl is over in Houston | ‘It’s cleanup time now’
We saw one while KPRC 2 reporter Mario Diaz and photojournalist Roger Franco were working in Galveston. This was likely due to what many think are transformers exploding as Hurricane Beryl swept through Matagorda, up to Houston, and beyond.
FULL LOOK AT TRANSFORMERS EXPLODING
CenterPoint Energy, ERCOT, and the State of Texas have crews working to restore the grid. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick mentioned that additional resources are on the way to assist.
Why do transformers blow or pop during storms like this?
Curious about why transformers blow during storms, we reached out to CenterPoint. Their crews are busy assessing damage and working on restoration for more than two million customers. While they are working on that, Media Relations Joshua Solis tells us, “The loud noise customers hear comes from a fuse blowing which is put in place to protect the transformer from further damage or overloading when there is a fault. This is very similar to a breaker tripping in your home to prevent further damage or overloading.”
Understanding the urgency for Houstonians, KPRC 2 Investigates Jason Nguyen turned to Matt Kasinecz from First Energy in Ohio for more insight. Kasinecz agrees that most of the things you heard and saw around transformers are from a fuse connecting the main powerline to the step-down transformer, that’s the cylinder you see connected to the utility pole.
“Fuses are also used to separate sections of the power line so damage affects a minimum number of customers possible,” said Kasinecz.
He explained, “To protect the transformer and line segments from initial damage, they have a cutout (fuse) that typically will ‘blow’ first to keep the transformer intact. So, when this cutout opens, it makes a loud noise, like a shotgun or a bomb, making folks think that the transformer blew up.”
With the high winds from Hurricane Beryl, ranging from 40 to 80+ miles per hour, the fuses blowing might not have mattered due to debris and the high winds potentially knocking transformers off utility poles.
When this happens, you might see electrical arcs or sparks from wires coming together. It’s the blue light we referred to at the top of the article.
If you spot a downed transformer or powerlines, Kasinecz advises keeping your distance and calling CenterPoint to report the location as soon as you can. Once crews arrive, give them space to get everyone restored safely.