The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning for the region with temperatures expected to reach as high as 104 degrees and a heat indices up to 115 degrees
Key actions CenterPoint Energy is taking include activating its Emergency Operations Center, mobilizing 1,050 frontline workers, and communicating with customers and emergency partners
HOUSTON — July 22, 2026 — CenterPoint Energy is continuing to take actions to prepare for the current extreme heat in the Greater Houston area today and isolated thunderstorms this evening, as well as the potential impacts of what is now Tropical Storm Bertha forecast to arrive int Southeast Texas as a weaker system starting Thursday. Among the critical actions CenterPoint Energy is taking include mobilizing 1,050 frontline personnel with an additional 1,100 contractors ready to support if necessary, activating its Emergency Operations Center, proactively communicating updates and important safety information to customers, and coordinating closely with local officials and emergency response partners.
“Our teams remain focused on taking actions to prepare and respond to the impacts of both the extreme heat currently impacting the Greater Houston area and potential tropical impacts forecast for later this week. We've mobilized more than 1,050 frontline crew members and support personnel, our Emergency Operations Center remains activated, and we're in close contact with our emergency response partners to coordinate efforts. While we take actions to prepare, we urge our customers and their families to take steps to stay safe today during the Extreme Heat Warning while preparing for potential tropical impacts," said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint Energy's Vice President, Resilience and Capital Delivery and Incident Commander.
With temperatures reaching as high as 104 today in the Greater Houston area and an estimated heat indices of up to 115 degrees, the National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning for the region. Isolated thunderstorms are also possible this evening between 4-9 pm. Additionally, based on current weather forecasts, the National Hurricane Center predicts what is now Tropical Storm Bertha will reach the southeast Texas coastline on Thursday as a weaker system. A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued as a precaution along the immediate coastline. Significant impacts remain unlikely for the Greater Houston Area, with forecasts indicating sustained winds below 25mph, wind gusts of mainly 25-35mph, and rain totals of mainly 1-2" or below from isolated thunderstorms.
To prepare for the potential impacts of what is now Tropical Storm Bertha, CenterPoint Energy is once again urging all customers to immediately enroll in Power Alert Service® to receive important updates about their gas and electric service via text, email or phone calls, including service outages and estimated restoration times.
Actions CenterPoint Energy is Taking to Respond
As part of its continued preparedness efforts, CenterPoint Energy is taking the following actions to prepare and respond to the impacts of the ongoing extreme heat, as well as Tropical Storm Bertha forecasted to reach the Greater Houston area later this week:
- Activated Emergency Operations Center: Coordinating local preparedness and response efforts.
- Actively monitoring weather: Closely monitoring National Hurricane Center forecasts and evolving weather conditions that could impact Texas.
- Secured crews and equipment: Additional crews and equipment to quickly respond to potential storm impacts once conditions have cleared.
- Communicating with customers: Communicating directly to customers via email, phone, text or other channels to keep them informed and prepared, with more than 1 million communications sent to date.
- Promoting Power Alert Service®: Urging customers to sign up for Power Alert Service® to receive important updates about their gas and electric service via phone call, text or email, including outage details and estimated restoration times.
- Conducting outreach to critical care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone and/or text to make them aware of the potential for storm-related outages.
- Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to federal, state, county and city officials regarding preparedness activities.
Emergency Communications: Sign Up for Power Alert Service®
To receive important updates about gas and electric service via phone call, text or email, including outage details and estimated restoration times, CenterPoint Energy customers are strongly encouraged to enroll in Power Alert Service®. As part of CenterPoint Energy's overall emergency communications efforts, customers can stay up to date on local outages with its cloud-based Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish, which allows customers to see outages and restoration times by county, city and zip code.
Emergency Preparations: What Customers Can Do to Stay Safe
To help ensure their safety, CenterPoint Energy is encouraging all its customers and their families to follow their emergency plan during this event. Customers can find specific safety tips to help them prepare at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.
About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of March 31, 2026, the company owned approximately $47.8 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.