The Midcontinent ISO’s annual Winter Readiness Workshop on October 29 will feature transmission and generation outlooks, and weather forecasts for the upcoming season. The assessment shows adequate resources are available for winter but highlights the potential risks and challenges associated with cold and extreme weather operations.
“Having a clear picture of the risks is key to staying ahead of extreme weather,” said Jason Howard, director of operations risk management at MISO. “We work closely with our members to ensure we’re prepared — not just for what we expect, but also for the unexpected.”
The winter forecast indicates near- to slightly-below-normal temperatures across MISO’s North and Central regions, while the South region is expected to experience above-normal temperatures. An active storm pattern is anticipated in the Central region pushing North, likely creating above-normal precipitation across the Great Lakes, while much of the South region is expected to remain dry.
MISO expects peak winter demand to be around 103 GW, but it could reach as high as 109 GW. Last winter, MISO reached a peak demand of 108 GW on January 21, 2025, during Winter Storm Enzo.
MISO is emphasizing the importance of adapting to a changing energy landscape, especially as the generation fleet changes, demand increases, and extreme weather events become more common.
“The combination of load growth, resource flexibility needs during the riskiest times of the day and the ever-present possibility of larger winter storms is our new reality,” added Howard. “In response to this complex risk environment, MISO is enhancing our forecasting capabilities, dynamic reserves and outage coordination processes to ensure MISO maintains reliability for the 45 million people we serve.”
The two-hour workshop will also include summary results from the annual Generator Winterization Survey.
