Utilities and electrical departments across the Chattanooga region are preparing for possible power outages as the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Saturday and Sunday.
Meteorologists are predicting an inch or less of snow in Chattanooga, but a quarter-inch of ice is possible in the southern Tennessee Valley. That’s enough ice to cause fallen tree limbs and power outages. The winter storm watch begins at 1 a.m. Saturday and lasts through 7 p.m. Sunday.
The forecast includes a blast of cold air with low temperatures in the teens or single digits Sunday and Monday nights.
Crews are mobilizing at local utilities, from EPB to the Chickamauga Electric System and the Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative. Almost all Chattanooga-area utilities buy wholesale power from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which has made its own preparations. One exception is Dade County, which gets most of its electricity from Georgia Power.
TVA expects its highest power demands to come as temperatures drop Monday and Tuesday, spokesperson Scott Fiedler said in an email.
(READ MORE: How to report, track power outages in Chattanooga region)
(READ MORE: TVA working with data centers to avoid ‘unduly burdening’ ratepayers)
Leaders at several utilities urged residents to stay at home if there are icy and snowy road conditions, since drivers can cause outages by hitting power poles. They also urged residents to stay away from downed power lines, which can be highly dangerous, and report them to their utility.
Preparations for the storm include sprucing up emergency plans, inspecting equipment, gassing up trucks, stocking up on salt and cutting tree limbs.
“We’re out trimming today trees that we think could fall on the line,” Steve Clift, general manager of the city of Dayton Electric Department, said in a phone call Wednesday. “That’s usually the issue. That, and people riding around and hitting poles.”
Chattanooga-area utilities mobilize for possible outages ahead of winter storm
REINFORCEMENTS
EPB, which distributes power to more than 200,000 customers in the city of Chattanooga and its suburbs, is calling in 86 additional crews for the weekend, spokesperson Sophie Moore said. EPB’s automated power grid can reroute power in most cases to minimize outages, Moore said.
“It’s all hands on deck at EPB all weekend long as we prepare for winter weather,” Moore said. “We will stage crews
Several utility leaders said they would work with partner organizations to get power back on, including Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative, which distributes power to nearly 40,000 people in Bledsoe, Grundy, Marion and Sequatchie counties.
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“All SVEC employees will be on call, along with our right-of-way and heavy construction contractors, so crews can respond as quickly and safely as possible if outages occur,” spokesperson Kari Cook Crouse said in an email. “We are also coordinating with our national and statewide associations, along with our power partners, to ensure mutual aid resources are available if needed.”
Customers should try to conserve power to reduce strain on the power system, which can make restoring power more difficult, said Michael Haney, city manager in Chickamauga.
“I’m hoping we don’t see something large,” Haney said in a phone call. “I know they predicted a big storm. I think the weather is starting to show a little change now. We’ll just go through it and see. We’re as prepared as we can be.”
Utility leaders provided tips to customers for preparing for wintry weather and reducing power use:
— Assemble emergency kit with flashlights, batteries and medication
— Stock up on non-perishable food and water, warm clothing and blankets
— Charge phones and portable charges before the storm
— Charge medical equipment and fill oxygen tanks
— Fill propane tanks above 20%
— Turn thermostats down to lowest comfortable temperature to reduce power use and save money
— Keep exterior doors closed, including the garage
— Open blinds on sunny side of home and close them at night
— Check weather stripping and caulking around doors and windows
TVA AT THE READY
Crews at TVA, the nation’s largest government-owned power provider, completed 400 maintenance tasks and took preventative measures during more than 30 planned outages in the fall to prepare for winter, Fiedler, TVA’s spokesperson, said.
TVA sells power to 153 local utilities across seven states. Those utilities distribute power to more than 10 million homes and businesses. The federally owned utility is headquartered in Knoxville and maintains its largest operations base in Chattanooga.
Its maintenance tasks included adding enclosures and wind protection to insulate natural gas and coal-fired power plants across its seven-state territory. Freezing equipment at the plants led to TVA’s first-ever rolling blackouts in December 2022. The utility has avoided more rolling blackouts in subsequent winter storms.
TVA served its two highest all-time records for power demand in January 2025 at 35,430 megawatts and January 2024 at 34,577 megawatts. A megawatt is enough electricity to power around 585 homes at once, according to TVA.
(READ MORE: TVA gas construction tops 3,600 megawatts after Memphis approval)
“We have been monitoring the weather, and TVA is ready for high-demand days,” Fiedler said in an email. “It is too soon to see if we will set any records. We expect this highest loads to come in early next week.”
Since its all-time demand last January, TVA added 530 megawatts of natural gas generation at its Johnsonville plant in Middle Tennessee.
“These units are fast,” Fiedler said. “They can go from zero to full power in about five minutes, which is critical during extreme cold or heat.”
Since January 2024, TVA has added around 2,000 megawatts of generation, Fiedler said. That’s enough to power for more than 1 million homes. The utility plans to invest $11 billion in the next three years to boost the reliability of its grid and expand power generation.
Contact business reporter Daniel Dassow at ddassow@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.