Record cold strains Tennessee Valley power grid, delays Texans-Titans kickoff
Due to the cold, the Tennessee Valley Authority directed local power companies to enact rolling blackouts to reduce the load on the power grid. After the rolling blackouts ended, the NFL opted to delay the Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texas game kickoff until 1:02 p.m. CT.
Power companies use rolling power outages across Tennessee to manage demand
Due to record cold, the Tennessee Valley Authority directed local power companies to utilize rolling power outages to meet the demand. Nashville dropped below zero on Dec. 23, marking the coldest day on record since 1996.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Thousands across the Tennessee Valley experienced rolling blackouts on Christmas Eve as the power grid struggled to keep up with the demand for heat amid dangerously cold temperatures.
The Christmas week winter storm intensified into a deadly bomb cyclone Friday as temperatures plunged from New England to the Southeast.
Nashville fell to 1 below zero on Friday, the first time the Music City dropped below zero since 1996, according to the National Weather Service in Nashville.
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Temperatures began in the single digits on Christmas Eve in places like Nashville, Crossville, Livingston and Clarksville, with highs forecast in the teens to low 20s.
Peak Tennessee power outages during rolling blackouts on Christmas Eve.
(Getty Images)
While temperatures climbed into the teens on Christmas Eve, it was not enough to relieve the demand for heat across the Tennessee Valley.
Due to the cold, the Tennessee Valley Authority directed local power companies to enact rolling blackouts to reduce the load on the power grid.
Customers experienced rolling outages of about 10 minutes every hour to two hours during the service disruption.
![Texans play against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville]()
Image 1 of 4Derrick Henry, #22 of the Tennessee Titans, runs the ball during the first half in the game against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium on Dec. 24, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Wesley Hitt)
![The Blue Crew Drumline warms up prior to the game between the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)]()
Image 2 of 4The Blue Crew Drumline warms up prior to the game between the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) ( )
![Snow falls on Broadway, a popular tourist street in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 22, 2022.]()
Image 3 of 4Snow falls on Broadway, a popular tourist street in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 22, 2022. - A "once-in-a-generation" winter storm with temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit caused Christmas travel chaos in the United States on Thursday, with thousands of flights cancelled and major highways closed. (Photo by SETH HERALD / AFP) (Photo by SETH HERALD/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![Steam rises off of the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee on December 23, 2022 after winter storm Elliot moved through the Middle Tennessee region leaving behind freezing rain, snow and below freezing temperatures in Nashville, Tennessee.]()
Image 4 of 4Steam rises off of the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee on December 23, 2022 after winter storm Elliot moved through the Middle Tennessee region leaving behind freezing rain, snow and below freezing temperatures in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by SETH HERALD/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
Amid the rolling blackouts, nearly 250,000 customers were without power in Tennessee on Christmas Eve morning. Those numbers have since dropped to about 12,000.
Across the U.S., nearly 1.6 million customers were without power Saturday morning.
The Tennessee Titans game against the Houston Texas was scheduled to begin at noon. However, at the request of Nashville Mayor John Cooper Nash, the NFL opted to delay the kick-off until 1:02 p.m. CST. The Texans ended up beating the Titans 19-14.
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Authority officials tweeted that the rolling blackouts ended about 11 a.m. CST.
"We recognize that these planned temporary disruptions are a challenge, but it was needed to maintain grid stability for 10 million people across seven states," The Tennessee Valley Authority tweeted.
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The Nashville Electric Service said rotating power outages stopped Saturday. Still, non-essential businesses and residents were asked to reduce power usage in Nashville and Davidson County to help with the demand.
With a warm-up on the way next week, the cold is forecast to continue through Christmas weekend.
Subfreezing temperatures have reached as far south as the Gulf Coast as Freeze Warnings blanket the southern part of the country. Some locations as far south as central Florida are even feeling their coldest wintertime temperatures in several years.
The Christmas week storm also proved deadly, with more than a dozen fatalities being reported due to the combination of dangerous driving conditions and frigid temperatures.