Thousands remain without power in Tennessee with single-digit temperatures expected

Madison County Fire Rescue and West Tennessee Healthcare Medical Center Emergency Medical Services evacuated residents of an Adamsville nursing home to facilities in Jackson, Henderson and Collierville on Jan. 25, 2026, as winter weather slammed Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Madison County Fire Rescue)

Roughly 200,000 Tennesseans remain without power Monday in frigid temperatures after a major winter storm froze trees, power lines and roadways and coated them with ice.

The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed three weather-related deaths as of Sunday night — all in West Tennessee — with one death in Crockett County, one in Haywood County, and one in Obion County.

Temperatures are expected to drop to single-digits Monday night. The National Weather Service issued an Extreme Cold Warning for all of West and Middle Tennessee from Monday evening through noon on Tuesday.

Nursing home residents experiencing a power outage in a small West Tennessee town evacuated their facility Sunday night as weather conditions worsened and temperatures continued to plummet.

The state legislature, which is in session, will not be meeting for the remainder of the week due to the weather.

West Tennessee town without power, water for 18+ hours

Adamsville, a community of about 2,200 people in Hardin and McNairy counties, has been without water for at least 18 hours. The water service interruption is linked to widespread power outages that persist across most of McNairy County, according to the county’s emergency management agency.

Water service cannot be restored until power is restored, the agency announced on social media on Sunday night. Once water service is restored, the Adamsville water system will be under a boil water notice, the city stated. Residents should strain water through a clean cloth to remove particles and then bring the water to a rolling boil for at least one minute.

Adamsville resident Bethany Willard’s home lost power at around 3:30 a.m. Saturday. Willard and her two daughters are staying warm in one room with extra layers of clothing and blankets. The rest of the house was “ice cold,” and the water froze this morning, she told the Lookout over text. 

A family member delivered a propane heater Monday morning with about 12 hours of propane that they are conserving by using it for short periods, Willard said. They have a bathtub full of water and some extra water containers. The nearest warming station is about 15 minutes down the road from her home, but road conditions are dangerous.

“Right now, my biggest concern is not having a way to contact someone if we need help, if my phone dies and the power still isn’t on,” she wrote Monday afternoon. “My cell service hasn’t worked until now. So we’re just hoping and praying that it will be (back on) any time.”

Willard said her power was restored around 4:45 p.m.

Madison County Fire Rescue and West Tennessee Healthcare Medical Center Emergency Medical Services evacuated 78 residents of an Adamsville nursing home to facilities in Jackson, Henderson and Collierville on Sunday night. The fire rescue team deployed to the nursing home to help Madison County Health set up a heating unit there but determined that evacuation was the safest option given worsening weather conditions, Madison County Fire Rescue posted on social media Monday. 

There have been no other evacuations from the county, McNairy County Emergency Management Agency Director Allen Strickland told the Lookout Monday morning.

Hardin County warming shelters nearing capacity

The two warming shelters in Hardin County are nearing capacity, Hardin County Emergency Management Agency Director LaRae Smiley-Sliger said Monday around 1:30 p.m. 

“At the moment, we are trying to look at opening an additional shelter, however, we have no resources available,” Smiley-Sliger said in a video streamed on Facebook. “I need volunteers to run that shelter … and I need food. Obviously, it’s hard to get stuff in right now.”

The shelter at People’s Tabernacle Church is becoming overloaded, she said, though limited space remains at Voices of Savannah. 

Road conditions are still treacherous — most main roads in Hardin County are “passable at best,” and side roads are “horrible,” Smiley-Sliger said. She encouraged everyone who is able to safely stay home to remain in their houses. People who are able to get out and willing to volunteer at a warming shelter should contact Hardin County EMA on Facebook, she said.

Those who are unable to leave their homes, without power and needing assistance reaching a warming center should also message the agency on Facebook, Smiley-Sliger said.

“We’ll be glad to attempt to get resources to you,” she said. “Right now, every resource in the county — fire, law enforcement, EMS, EMA — all of us are taxed. We’re doing the best we can.”

Electric services report working through dangerous conditions to restore power

Hardin County Fire Department Chief Melvin Martin described “total devastation with trees across all the roads” around 11 a.m. Monday. He said the county’s priority is clearing the roadways and getting power back on, but trees are still falling and complicating recovery efforts.

Local utilities and Pickwick Electric Cooperative, which provides power services to McNairy County in addition to portions of surrounding counties, reported 10,645 customers remained without power as of 11:30 a.m. Monday, down from 14,743 early Sunday. 

“Our crew members reported to work as quickly as possible … we have had several close calls and near misses due to falling trees, slick road conditions, and extreme cold as we have worked,” the cooperative stated on Facebook.

Outside help from multiple other utilities from neighboring counties to states as far as Florida have begun to arrive, and the cooperative is prioritizing power restoration to water pumps, health care buildings, nursing homes and other essential services, according to the cooperative’s Facebook post. 

“These conditions are extreme,” the cooperative stated. “Our crews have at times had to cut their way into spots to put a line up only to have a tree tear it back down.”

Davidson County residents and businesses account for more than 155,000 of customers without power as of 5 p.m. Monday, according to the Nashville Electric Service. The utility reported at least 161 broken poles. Power has been restored to nearly 75,000 customers of the 230,000 that reported losing power over the weekend.

Nashville Electric Service reported doubling its workforce as of Monday, deploying about 500 line workers in addition to vegetation management and supplemental contract crews.

The utility stated that it can only safely reconnect power to buildings with undamaged weather heads, power masts and meter bases. Homeowners are responsible for this equipment and should contact a licensed electrician for repairs, Nashville Electric Service stated.

Gov. Lee: Tennessee facing ‘historic levels of snow and ice’

In an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning, Gov. Bill Lee described “historic levels of snow and ice” followed by frigid temperatures as low as single digits. 

“Our primary focus is … security of people’s lives,” he said.

More than 100 warming centers are open throughout the state, with locations available on the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s website. 

Lee also expressed gratitude for President Donald Trump’s quick approval of an emergency declaration for Tennessee, allowing the state to access resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for protective measures. This includes support for state-led efforts to restore power, clear roadways for emergency services, and other services to save lives and limit property damage, according to FEMA. 

Lee said the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, the National Guard and local and federal officials are cooperating in the storm response.