CenterPoint Energy continues to monitor Invest 93L in northeastern Gulf

Rhea-AI Summary

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) is actively monitoring Invest 93L, a low-pressure system moving from Florida's east coast toward the Gulf. The system is expected to remain relatively weak, potentially developing into a tropical depression or low-end tropical storm with projected landfall in Central or Western Louisiana.

The company's Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI) has implemented significant infrastructure improvements, including installation of 26,000+ storm-resilient poles, undergrounding of 400+ miles of power lines, and deployment of 100+ weather stations. The company has also installed 5,150+ automated reliability devices and cleared 6,000+ miles of high-risk vegetation.

Currently, minimal impacts are expected in the Greater Houston area beyond potential isolated heavy rains and localized flash flooding on Friday and Saturday.

Positive

• Installation of 26,000+ stronger storm-resilient poles for extreme weather resistance
• Undergrounding of 400+ miles of power lines improving system resiliency
• Implementation of 5,150+ automated reliability devices to reduce outage impact
• Installation of 100+ weather monitoring stations for enhanced storm preparation
• Launch of improved cloud-based Outage Tracker in English and Spanish

Negative

• Potential for localized flash flooding in Greater Houston area
• Risk of weather-related power outages despite preparedness measures

• Current projections indicate low potential development into a tropical depression or tropical storm
• No significant impacts expected in CenterPoint's Greater Houston service area beyond rain on Friday and Saturday
• Customers and the public are encouraged to sign-up for Power Alert Service to receive updates about friends, family and community locations

HOUSTON, July 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy's Meteorology, Emergency Planning & Response, and Electric Operations teams continue to monitor the low-pressure system offshore of Florida's east coast, now designated as Invest 93L, as it moves across Florida toward the Gulf.

According to current weather models, the storm is expected to remain relatively weak but could develop into a tropical depression or a low-end tropical storm before making a projected landfall in Central or Western Louisiana by the end of the week. Rain and localized flash flooding are possible in the Greater Houston area on Friday and Saturday.

Should the disturbance continue to organize, gain strength, and if model forecasts align on a different track, CenterPoint will take further action.

"CenterPoint's meteorology team continues to monitor activity across the Gulf, including Invest 93L as it moves westward across the Florida Peninsula," said Matt Lanza, CenterPoint's Manager of Meteorology. "We project a low likelihood that this storm could become a tropical depression or tropical storm later this week and are prepared to respond accordingly. Impacts to the Greater Houston area are currently expected to be minimal beyond some isolated heavy rains and localized flash flooding."

CenterPoint's summer storm readiness plan 

The actions CenterPoint may take to prepare and respond to storms this summer include: 

• Mobilizing vegetation management workers: Deploying local and contract personnel to clear hazardous vegetation from power lines in the Greater Houston area ahead of storm landfall to prevent outages. 
• Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to federal, state, county and city officials about our pre-storm activities and readiness posture. 
• Conducting outreach to critical care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone or text.  
• Sharing information and updates: Providing safety and preparedness information directly with customers via email, phone or text, across social media platforms and other channels to keep customers informed and prepared.   
• Organizing additional call center staffing: Securing additional call center staff to handle a higher volume of calls during the storm and limit wait times.  

Actions since Hurricane Beryl: Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative
Since launching GHRI following Hurricane Beryl last summer, CenterPoint executed a historic series of critical resiliency improvements across the company's 12-county Greater Houston area service territory. The company completed the following actions:

• Installed or replaced more than 26,000 stronger, more storm-resilient poles built to withstand extreme winds;
• Undergrounded more than 400 miles of power lines to improve overall resiliency;
• Installed more than 5,150 additional automated reliability devices and intelligent grid switching devices to reduce the impact of outages and improve restoration times;
• Cleared more than 6,000 miles of higher-risk vegetation near power lines to reduce storm-related outages;
• Installed more than 100 weather stations across our service territory to improve situational awareness and storm preparation;
• Donated 21 backup generators to critical facilities across the company's 12-county service area; and
• Launched a new and improved, cloud-based Outage Tracker to provide real-time updates on outages and restoration efforts in English and Spanish.

Important weather station facts and locations
CenterPoint has installed over 100 weather monitoring stations ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season. The weather monitoring stations were installed in strategic locations across CenterPoint's 12-county Greater Houston area electric service territory. The devices take measurements every 2-5 minutes, including humidity levels, wind speed, temperature, and rainfall.

For more information on CenterPoint's GHRI actions and improvements ahead of hurricane season, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/TakingAction.

Sign-up for Power Alert Service to get updates about family and friends
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates via phone call, text or email. Customers can add up to five additional email addresses or phone numbers to allow family and friends to receive outage information. 

CenterPoint encourages all customers to have a plan to stay safe
CenterPoint is encouraging all of its customers to prepare and have a plan to stay safe during this week's weather. Customers can get storm-related safety tips at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter — available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Customers can also stay up to date on outages with CenterPoint's new and improved, cloud-based Outage Tracker, now available in English and Spanish. The Outage Tracker is built to handle increased traffic during storms, is mobile-friendly, accessible, and allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.

For the latest updates, follow CenterPoint on X and visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter. 

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of March 31, 2025, the company had approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers 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

FAQ

What is the expected impact of Invest 93L on CenterPoint Energy's service area?

Current projections indicate minimal impact in the Greater Houston area, with only isolated heavy rains and potential localized flash flooding expected on Friday and Saturday.

What improvements has CenterPoint Energy (CNP) made since Hurricane Beryl?

CNP has installed 26,000+ storm-resilient poles, undergrounded 400+ miles of power lines, added 5,150+ automated reliability devices, and cleared 6,000+ miles of vegetation as part of their Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative.

How can CenterPoint Energy customers stay informed about power outages?

Customers can enroll in the Power Alert Service for outage updates via phone, text, or email, and use the new cloud-based Outage Tracker available in English and Spanish.

What monitoring systems does CenterPoint Energy have in place for storms?

CNP has installed over 100 weather monitoring stations across their 12-county service area, measuring humidity, wind speed, temperature, and rainfall every 2-5 minutes.

Where can CenterPoint Energy customers find storm safety information?

Customers can access storm safety tips at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and follow updates on X (formerly Twitter).