Overnight, afternoon storms create new power outages
A tree fell on a vehicle at Park Avenue and Perkins Road Friday afternooon, July 21. Police would not comment on any injuries. (Alys Drake/The Daily Memphian)
Memphis Light, Gas and Water crews had restored power to more than 90% of those knocked off the grid earlier this week when two additional rounds of storms Friday caused more damage.
More than a third of MLGW customers lost power the evening of Tuesday, July 18, when severe weather rolled through the area. It was the eighth-worst storm on record for MLGW in terms of electric outages.
Power was restored for most of MLGW’s customers by early Friday morning before thunderstorms left another 16,000 customers in the dark.
On Friday afternoon around 1:30 p.m., another line of storms crossed the Mississippi River.
As of midnight Saturday, MLGW was reporting more than 42,000 customers without power. That number hit a peak Friday around 3:30 when it hit almost 74,000 customers.
Important info from MLGW
Call 211 for emergency shelter and other resources.
Customers who currently receive SNAP can apply for replacement benefits here.
An MLGW emergency response dashboard is online.
Always call 528-4465 to report emergencies such as downed powerlines and gas leaks. MLGW asks customers to stay away from downed powerlines. Do not touch or cut limbs across powerlines. They could be energized.
MLGW customers can report power outages and check the status of their outage through My Account or by calling the automated outage number: 544-6500. Customers can also check the online outage map.
A continuing barrage of storms has been slowing the utility’s progress to get all of its power customers back online.
The National Weather Service reported that Friday’s rainfall of 4.53 inches was a record for July 21. The previous record was 3.3 inches on July 21, 1953.
In a release Friday, MLGW said it plans to have a full complement of MLGW and contract crews — 98 repair crews, 89 tree crews, 23 troubleshooters and 34 damage assessment teams — working through the weekend.
Prior to Friday afternoon’s thunderstorms, MLGW said it expected to fully restore power by Sunday night to customers who can take power.
2:15pm Straight line wind damage potential now in Stanton, Somerville, and Moscow, TN, with winds of up to 50mph and gusts 60mph+. Strongest parts of the line are now approaching the east side of the metro, expect heavy rain and strong winds. /LN pic.twitter.com/yf8JUJgbd8
— MemphisWeather.net (@memphisweather1) July 21, 2023
Earlier Friday, the NWS was forecasting wind gusts could get up to more than 60 miles per hour. Downed trees and power lines were also possible.
The forecast was reminiscent of earlier this month, when back-to-back weekend storms disrupted MLGW’s restoration efforts.
It’s also become an increasingly common occurrence.
A tree that fell across Harbert Avenue at Cox Street took down utility lines before it hit the ground Friday afternoon, July 21. No injuries were reported. (Courtesy Jay Hoffman)
In the past year and a half, outages have impacted 800,000 customers; that’s the equivalent of every MLGW customer losing power twice.
That’s also the number of customers who lost power between 2012 and 2022. MLGW President and CEO Doug McGowen said earlier this week it suggests that aging infrastructure is just one part of a complex problem that’s exacerbated by more severe and more frequent storm-related outages.
High winds uprooted an oak tree on Harbert Avenue at Cox Street in Midtown Friday, July 21, 2023. (Courtesy Jay Hoffman)
Topics
Memphis Light Gas & Water Doug McGowen power outagesKeely Brewer
Keely Brewer is a Report for America corps member covering environmental impacts on communities of color in Memphis. She is working in partnership with the Ag & Water Desk, a sustainable reporting network aimed at telling water and agriculture stories across the Mississippi River Basin.
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