Severe Ice and Snow Weather in the Southern United States Could Significantly Impact Bitcoin Mining Operations

January 23 — Per Cointelegraph, a winter storm threatening much of the southern U.S. could force Bitcoin miners to shut down operations. U.S.-based weather forecaster AccuWeather said Thursday the "major winter storm" will span 1,800 miles, stretching from the far western tip of Texas to the mid-Atlantic coast and impacting over 60 million people. Historically, when large storms disrupt the grid, Bitcoin miners have voluntarily cut back activity to ease the grid’s burden. During a major 2022 winter storm in Texas, crypto miners in the state scaled back operations voluntarily. Bitcoin ESG researcher Daniel Batten noted that as extreme weather events grow more frequent globally, the need to balance Bitcoin mining loads will rise — especially as more solar and wind power comes online.