Country artists across Music City are among the tens of thousands affected by the powerful ice storm that moved through Middle Tennessee over the weekend of Saturday, Jan. 24, and Sunday, Jan. 25. As of Thursday morning, more than 90,000 customers served by Nashville Electric Service (NES) were still without electricity, despite crews restoring power to roughly 140,000 homes and businesses.
A long list of artists — including Lauren Watkins, Meghan Patrick, Mitchell Tenpenny, Maddie Font, HARDY, Jessie James Decker, Drew Baldridge, Erin Kinsey, Levi Hummon, Sheryl Crow, Russell Dickerson, and Maren Morris — have shared updates about enduring days without power, with many now entering their fifth straight day in freezing conditions.
On Thursday morning, Meghan Patrick revealed that the temperature inside her home had dropped to 41 degrees and that she’d been told power might not return for “another week.”
“Thank God for friends who’ve given us a warm, safe place to stay,” she wrote. “Praying for everyone who’s spending money they don’t have on hotels or trying to ride this out.”
Country artist James Otto, known for his hit “Just Got Started Lovin’ You,” also described the toll the storm has taken.
“We’re heading into our fourth day without power in my part of Nashville,” Otto shared. “I’ve lived through plenty of brutal winters in North Dakota and Washington, but the scale of destruction from this ice storm is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Trees and massive limbs are down everywhere. Almost every yard in my neighborhood is heavily damaged. I’m hopeful power is coming soon, but it’s hard to say. Huge thanks to the crews clearing trees and the linemen working nonstop to get us back online.”
As conditions worsened, several artists temporarily left their homes. RaeLynn stayed with Summer Pardi, while HARDY and his wife Caleigh checked into a local hotel. Drew Baldridge shared that his family is currently staying with his manager while waiting for electricity to be restored.
“We’re now on day five without power,” Baldridge said. “We bounced between friends’ houses and are now at my manager’s place, which thankfully has power. But so many people are still in their homes, sitting in 40-degree temperatures. Our house was around 43 this morning — still nothing. Sending prayers to everyone struggling across Nashville and beyond. This storm really knocked us down.”
The outages have also disrupted Music City institutions. The legendary Bluebird Cafe remains without power, and the venue shared that food stored in coolers was lost, adding that restocking the kitchen will take time once operations resume.
NES President and CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin addressed the situation early Thursday, acknowledging the hardship caused by the prolonged outages.
“This storm was unprecedented for Nashville and much of the country,” she said, noting that nearly half of the U.S. was impacted. “The ice caused extensive damage to transmission lines, substations, and distribution systems. At the peak, 230,000 Nashvillians were without power — the largest outage in our history. Today, fewer than 90,000 homes remain without electricity, and we’ve brought in crews from across the country to help.”
Broyles-Aplin added that while thousands more homes are expected to regain power over the next two days, some residents may remain without electricity through the weekend or longer.
— Nashville Electric Service (@NESpower) January 28, 2026
Despite the challenges, the community has rallied in true Nashville fashion. Local businesses, including Edley’s Bar-B-Que, are stepping up to provide free meals to those affected.
As Tim McGraw recently shared, “I woke up to the damage across Nashville and my heart sank. I’m thankful my family is safe, but I know many people are hurting — homes damaged, power out, trees down. If you need help, ask. If you can help, go. That’s how Nashville works. We take care of our own.”