The Arctic blast that lowered overnight temperatures to single digits for several days across the Tennessee Valley last week pushed power consumption to record highs as the 10 million customers of the Tennessee Valley Authority turned up their electric heat pumps, furnaces and heaters to stay warm.
The lights in South Brainerd went out around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, as single digit temps, brittle limbs and power lines combined for scattered power outages across the Chattanooga area.