Storms Knock Out Power for Thousands Across Middle Tennessee

Nashville Electric Service and Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation report widespread outages as severe weather moves through the region.

Apr. 17, 2026 at 12:48am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A dramatic, atmospheric landscape painting in muted tones of gray, blue, and white, depicting a massive, swirling storm system dominating the sky and dwarfing a small power line tower in the foreground, conveying the overwhelming power of nature and the vulnerability of human infrastructure.As powerful storms sweep through Middle Tennessee, the region's electrical grid faces the daunting challenge of withstanding nature's raw fury.Today in Nashville

Storms moving through Middle Tennessee on Thursday evening have left tens of thousands of customers without power, with Nashville Electric Service and Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation reporting significant impacts across their service areas. NES is reporting over 1,100 active outage events affecting nearly 29,000 customers, while CEMC says around 9,700 of its members are in the dark.

Why it matters

Power outages can have widespread impacts on communities, disrupting daily life, affecting businesses, and posing risks to vulnerable populations. The severe weather moving through the region highlights the importance of grid resilience and emergency preparedness.

The details

According to the NES outage map, there are 1,128 active outage events affecting 28,689 customers as of 7:45 p.m. Thursday. Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation says around 9,700 members are without power across its service territory as of the same time. CEMC is also experiencing issues with its toll-free office number, though members can still report outages by calling the utility's local number.

  • Storms began moving through Middle Tennessee on Thursday evening.
  • As of 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, NES reported 1,128 active outage events affecting 28,689 customers.
  • As of 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, CEMC reported around 9,700 members without power.

The players

Nashville Electric Service

The electric utility serving Nashville and parts of Middle Tennessee.

Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation

The electric cooperative serving parts of Middle Tennessee, including Clarksville and surrounding areas.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What’s next

Utility crews will continue working to restore power to affected customers as the severe weather moves through the region.

The takeaway

This storm serves as a reminder of the importance of grid resilience and emergency preparedness in the face of extreme weather events that can disrupt power service for thousands of customers across Middle Tennessee.