Thousands Lose Power After East Tennessee Storms

Utility providers report widespread outages across the region following early morning thunderstorms.

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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Thousands of customers across East Tennessee were left without power on Friday morning after severe storms moved through the region. Utility providers like Knoxville Utilities Board, Lenoir City Utilities Board, Fort Loudon Electric Cooperative, Alcoa Electric Department, and Sevier County Electric reported widespread outages impacting over 11,000 customers in total.

Why it matters

Power outages can have significant impacts on communities, disrupting daily life, causing safety and security concerns, and creating economic losses. Severe weather is a leading cause of power outages in the region, and utility companies work to restore service as quickly as possible to minimize the effects on residents and businesses.

The details

As of 6:20 a.m., Knoxville Utilities Board reported over 3,700 customers without power in Knox County. Other providers also saw major outages, including 862 customers for Lenoir City Utilities Board, 1,148 for Fort Loudon Electric Cooperative, 2,115 for Alcoa Electric Department, and 3,517 for Sevier County Electric. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning remained in effect through 7 a.m. for several counties, including Knox, Blount, Cocke and Sevier.

  • The storms passed through the East Tennessee region early Friday morning.
  • As of 6:20 a.m., over 11,000 customers were reported without power across multiple utility providers.
  • The Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect until 7 a.m.

The players

Knoxville Utilities Board

The public utility that provides electricity, water, and wastewater services to the Knoxville, Tennessee metropolitan area.

Lenoir City Utilities Board

A municipal utility that provides electricity, water, and wastewater services to Lenoir City, Tennessee and surrounding areas.

Fort Loudon Electric Cooperative

A member-owned electric cooperative that serves parts of Loudon, Blount, and Monroe counties in Tennessee.

Alcoa Electric Department

The municipal electric utility for the city of Alcoa, Tennessee.

Sevier County Electric

The electric utility that provides service to Sevier County, Tennessee, including the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas.

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The takeaway

The widespread power outages caused by the early morning storms in East Tennessee highlight the vulnerability of the region's electrical infrastructure to severe weather events. Utility companies will work to restore service as quickly as possible, but prolonged outages can have significant impacts on communities.