CenterPoint Energy is monitoring a tropical disturbance in the Northeast Gulf and ready to activate its summer storm readiness plan, if needed

Rhea-AI Summary

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) is actively monitoring a tropical disturbance moving from Florida toward the Gulf, with potential impacts on the Texas Coast by late Friday or early Saturday. While current projections indicate a low probability of significant impact beyond rainfall in the Houston area, the company stands ready to activate its summer storm readiness plan if needed.

Following Hurricane Beryl last summer, CenterPoint has implemented significant infrastructure improvements through its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI), including: installation of 26,000+ storm-resilient poles, undergrounding of 400+ miles of power lines, deployment of 5,150+ automated reliability devices, and installation of 100+ weather stations across its service territory.

Positive

• Installed over 26,000 stronger storm-resilient poles and undergrounded 400+ miles of power lines
• Deployed 5,150+ automated reliability devices to improve restoration times
• Implemented 100+ weather monitoring stations for enhanced storm tracking
• Launched improved cloud-based Outage Tracker system in multiple languages

Negative

• None.

• Current projections show a low probability of Texas Coast impacts beyond rain
• Any potential impacts would occur late Friday or early Saturday
• Customers and public encouraged to sign-up for Power Alert Service for updates about friends, family and community locations

HOUSTON, July 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy's Meteorology, Emergency Planning & Response and Electric Operations teams are monitoring a tropical disturbance moving across Florida toward the Gulf. Based on current projections, the path of the storm could come near the Texas Coast by the end of the week, but is anticipated to be primarily a rain event for the Houston area.

While it's still early and there are many variables, CenterPoint is ready to take action with its summer storm readiness plan. Should the disturbance continue to organize, gain strength, and models align on its different track, CenterPoint will take further actions.  

"CenterPoint's meteorology team has been monitoring this disturbance as it moved toward the Florida peninsula over the weekend. And we will continue to monitor, review new models and data and leverage our suite of technology assets, so we are prepared," said Matt Lanza, CenterPoint's Manager of Meteorology. "Right now, we are anticipating the low likelihood of an end of week potential rain event."

"While it is early and weather models can change, we want our customers, communities and public to know that we have a summer storm readiness plan. We encourage everyone to keep an eye on the weather this week while CenterPoint stands ready to activate," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of CenterPoint's Electric Business.

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, ADA-compliant, 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

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/centerpoint-energy-is-monitoring-a-tropical-disturbance-in-the-northeast-gulf-and-ready-to-activate-its-summer-storm-readiness-plan-if-needed-302504683.html

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

FAQ

What preparations is CenterPoint Energy (CNP) making for the tropical disturbance in July 2025?

CenterPoint Energy is monitoring the disturbance and ready to activate its summer storm readiness plan, which includes mobilizing vegetation management workers, coordinating with officials, conducting outreach to critical care customers, and increasing call center staffing.

What improvements has CenterPoint Energy made since Hurricane Beryl?

Through its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, CenterPoint has installed 26,000+ storm-resilient poles, undergrounded 400+ miles of power lines, added 5,150+ automated reliability devices, and installed 100+ weather stations.

How can CNP customers stay informed about power outages during storms?

Customers can enroll in Power Alert Service for updates via phone, text, or email, and use the new cloud-based Outage Tracker available in English and Spanish. They can also follow CenterPoint on X and visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

What area does CenterPoint Energy's storm preparation cover?

CenterPoint Energy's preparations cover its 12-county Greater Houston area electric service territory, where they have implemented various infrastructure improvements and installed weather monitoring stations.

When is the tropical disturbance expected to impact CenterPoint Energy's service area?

Based on current projections, any potential impacts would occur late Friday or early Saturday, though current models suggest it will likely be primarily a rain event for the Houston area.