Impact of US Weather on Bitcoin Network: Hash Rate Decreased by 10%

In recent days, investors have closely monitored the price movements of Bitcoin (Bitcoin), while a severe winter storm in the United States has led to a significant loss of processing power on the Bitcoin network. In the last week, the total processing power on the Bitcoin network has decreased by 10%.

This sudden decline is attributed to the freezing temperatures and storms that affected mining facilities in some regions of the continent. Since the security and transaction capacity of the Bitcoin network depend on mining activities, such external factors can have serious consequences. This decrease in processing power is recorded at the hash rate level, and it has once again brought the issue of centralization in mining to the forefront.

The hash rate represents the total computing power used for verifying transactions and producing blocks on the Bitcoin network. Sudden drops in this power can reduce the network's capacity to process transactions, lengthen confirmation times, and increase transaction fees. Although the Bitcoin network managed to navigate this situation after the storm without significant disruption, experts warn that regional interruptions in mining could create serious vulnerabilities across the entire system.

Current data shows that Bitcoin production is increasingly concentrated in fewer central areas. The two largest mining pools control more than 50% of the total processing power of the Bitcoin network, while the top six pools hold approximately 80 to 90% of all block production. This concentration increases the risk that local infrastructure issues or power outages could escalate into a global crisis on the Bitcoin network.

While no significant reaction has been observed in the markets so far, the price of Bitcoin has maintained a stable trend during the day. However, experts point out how physical infrastructure issues can exert pressure on digital financial systems. Past interruptions have fueled concerns that these centralization trends in mining could lead to more significant problems in the future.