The Scenic City was prepared to handle the single-digit temperatures that struck on Wednesday night and lingered through Thursday morning.
Lyle Wilson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn., said the overnight low of 9 degrees "is definitely the coldest we've had this winter."
Temperatures are expected to climb back up to the 30s today and over the weekend, but Wilson said it will still feel cold -- especially tonight.
"There'll be a reinforcing shot, a secondary surge of cold weather coming into the area Friday," Wilson said Thursday afternoon. "And Friday night it might dip back down into the teens."
The National Weather Service, along with the Chattanooga Department of Public Works, said no problems have been reported so far in connection with the cold weather.
"We are lucky this time around," Public Works Administrator Lee Norris said.
The main concern for the Public Works Department was ice on the roads, Norris said, and as of Thursday afternoon he had not received any calls or complaints about ice or broken pipes.
Daphne Kirksey, external affairs manager for Tennessee American Water, said they had only one emergency on Thursday, and about 30 calls from people complaining that they didn't have water, which she said was slightly more than normal.
"We were definitely prepared for the worst and all hands on deck, but we have been pleasantly surprised," Kirksey said.
More problems may arise Sunday, she said, when the thaw comes and burst pipes make themselves evident.
Both TVA and EPB saw a rise in demand for electricity in the past few days.
Darian Lindsay puts a warm coat on Sidney the camel as temperatures hover near 12 degrees at the Chattanooga Zoo early Thursday.TVA spokesman Scott Brooks told the Times Free Press that TVA had no trouble meeting the peak electricity demand Thursday morning.
This week's drastic change in temperature did set a record for TVA, though, as there was a 165 percent swing from the low level of power use Sunday morning when the temperatures were milder, to Thursday morning when the wind chill index was below zero in much of TVA's seven-state region.
EPB saw a rise in demand, as 1,308 megawatts was used during Thursday morning's peak, just 20 megawatts short of EPB's record high, according to John Pless, a spokesman for EPB.
Local schools were affected by the cold, as many in the metro Chattanooga area were on a two-hour delay.
Chris Darras, who is on daily car duty at Battle Academy, said the only difference he noticed on Thursday morning was that there were fewer kids at school.
"Our car traffic seemed lighter," he said. "Across the county, the delay affects a lot of parents."
He said it is a noticeable trend that when school is delayed because of weather, many parents just keep their children at home.
The cold temperatures caused the local Salvation Army to offer extended hours to help protect people from the cold.
Kimberly George, director of marketing and development for the Salvation Army in the greater Chattanooga area, said, "We've been a lot busier. ... Folks are coming in to get out of the cold."
George said that the Salvation Army is still in need of warm clothing donations. She also said that monetary donations are needed, as the organization has been receiving calls from people in need of assistance with their utility bills.
In Georgia, temperatures fell to 10 degrees before dawn in Marietta, Cartersville and Rome and 12 in Atlanta. The low in Georgia was 0 degrees at Brasstown Bald, the state's highest peak.
Temperatures dropped to 3 degrees in Haleyville, Double Springs and Winfield in Northwest Alabama. The low of 17 degrees at Mobile Regional Airport broke a record set in 1886 by 1 degree, forecasters said, and Tuscaloosa dipped to 11 degrees to break a record set in 1970. Montgomery's low of 14 degrees was a degree colder than the previous mark set in 1970.
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.
Contact staff writer Will Healey at whealey@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6731.