Power Mostly Restored After Nashville Winter Storm

Nashville Electric Service says 99% of customers will have electricity back by Monday.

Published on Feb. 8, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

After a two-week power outage affecting up to 92% of Davidson County due to Winter Storm Fern, Nashville Electric Service (NES) says it has restored power to "all customers capable of receiving it." At the peak, 230,000 customers were without electricity, but NES says 99% will regain power by Monday, February 9th.

Why it matters

The extended power outages caused significant disruption in Nashville, leading to criticism of NES's response from the mayor and state Republican leaders. The storm and outages also impacted local businesses and residents, prompting the city to launch a "Restore Nashville" effort to provide emergency assistance.

The details

Winter Storm Fern hit Middle Tennessee on January 24th, causing power lines to freeze and trees to snap, taking out more power lines. At the peak, NES reported 230,000 customers without electricity, which was 92% of Davidson County. Over the past two weeks, 1,900 line workers worked 14-16 hour shifts to restore power, including support from other companies. NES says 99% of customers will have power back by February 9th, but 1% will take longer due to more extensive damage.

  • On January 24th, Winter Storm Fern hit Middle Tennessee.
  • At the peak on January 24th, 230,000 customers were without power, which was 92% of Davidson County.
  • By 6pm on February 7th, NES said it had restored power to "all customers capable of receiving it".
  • NES says 99% of customers will regain power by February 9th.
  • As of February 8th at 3pm, about 55 NES customers were still without power.

The players

Nashville Electric Service (NES)

The public electric utility that provides power to Nashville and surrounding areas.

Teresa Broyles-Aplin

The president and CEO of Nashville Electric Service.

Freddie O'Connell

The mayor of Nashville who criticized NES's response to the power outages.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We believe we have restored power to all customers impacted by the Winter Storm Fern that are able to receive power.”

— Teresa Broyles-Aplin, President and CEO, Nashville Electric Service (The Tennessean)

“At one point we had 230,000 customers without power, scattered across 294 square miles.”

— Teresa Broyles-Aplin, President and CEO, Nashville Electric Service (The Tennessean)

What’s next

NES announced it will undergo an accountability study to analyze its response to the storm and existing practices like tree trimming.

The takeaway

The extended power outages in Nashville following Winter Storm Fern highlighted the need for utilities to improve their storm response and infrastructure resilience, while also underscoring the broader community impact of such widespread and prolonged outages.