Record cold strains Tennessee Valley power grid, delays Texans-Titans kickoff

Due to the cold, the Tennessee Valley Authority directed local power companies to enact rolling blackouts to reduce the load on the power grid. After the rolling blackouts ended, the NFL opted to delay the Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texas game kickoff until 1:02 p.m. CT.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Thousands across the Tennessee Valley experienced rolling blackouts on Christmas Eve as the power grid struggled to keep up with the demand for heat amid dangerously cold temperatures.

The Christmas week winter storm intensified into a deadly bomb cyclone Friday as temperatures plunged from New England to the Southeast.

Nashville fell to 1 below zero on Friday, the first time the Music City dropped below zero since 1996, according to the National Weather Service in Nashville.

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Temperatures began in the single digits on Christmas Eve in places like Nashville, Crossville, Livingston and Clarksville, with highs forecast in the teens to low 20s.

While temperatures climbed into the teens on Christmas Eve, it was not enough to relieve the demand for heat across the Tennessee Valley.

Due to the cold, the Tennessee Valley Authority directed local power companies to enact rolling blackouts to reduce the load on the power grid. 

Customers experienced rolling outages of about 10 minutes every hour to two hours during the service disruption.

Amid the rolling blackouts, nearly 250,000 customers were without power in Tennessee on Christmas Eve morning. Those numbers have since dropped to about 12,000.

Across the U.S., nearly 1.6 million customers were without power Saturday morning. 

The Tennessee Titans game against the Houston Texas was scheduled to begin at noon. However, at the request of Nashville Mayor John Cooper Nash, the NFL opted to delay the kick-off until 1:02 p.m. CST. The Texans ended up beating the Titans 19-14.

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Authority officials tweeted that the rolling blackouts ended about 11 a.m. CST.

"We recognize that these planned temporary disruptions are a challenge, but it was needed to maintain grid stability for 10 million people across seven states," The Tennessee Valley Authority tweeted.

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The Nashville Electric Service said rotating power outages stopped Saturday. Still, non-essential businesses and residents were asked to reduce power usage in Nashville and Davidson County to help with the demand.

With a warm-up on the way next week, the cold is forecast to continue through Christmas weekend.

Subfreezing temperatures have reached as far south as the Gulf Coast as Freeze Warnings blanket the southern part of the country. Some locations as far south as central Florida are even feeling their coldest wintertime temperatures in several years. 

The Christmas week storm also proved deadly, with more than a dozen fatalities being reported due to the combination of dangerous driving conditions and frigid temperatures.

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