A lot of Mississippi is still without power.

That pic was what we were expecting here up until the day it hit, but thankfully it was mostly sleet so little damage done. I was working on an ulcer spending several days prepping for a major blackout lasting for many days, an ulcer would be much more than a fair exchange.

We were lucky. The rain pushed the ice just north of where we live. It slammed North Mississippi, NW Alabama (Florance), southern Tennesse just north of us, and went through you, Rob. I had ordered something off EBay and she was in Virginia and just shipped Wednesday. She had to get someone to clean the ice off her driveway Tuesday.

I hate ice storms worse than tornados.

I'm very glad we're ok. What made me look for this picture? I couldn't imagine how much worse the southern west side of town must be for them to be without power so much longer than the northern east side of town. After driving from one point to the other today, I see why. The more southerly point is far worse off. They're a week behind us in clean up. And there are so many more trees. They've basically sliced a way through the streets and shoved branches to the middle of the road, or off to the side. There will be clean up for a very long time. I was in awe.

What gets me is NONE of this is on any news?????

Strange. It was on the news here. This is just the BBC.

Where is that pic from? The storm covered a large area.

Wow!

Are you asking me Arcy? Within the city of Nashville.

Sherry, it was on both the local and national news here in Ohio. They haven't revisited the damaged areas but it was covered for a number of days when it happened. Of course there is only so much time and so much news that can be covered.

The 12" of snow we got two weeks ago remains with another 3" added today. There was some power outage but nothing too bad. I never lost power but it is difficult to get around. Ice is the real catastrophe and we were fortunate not to have gotten that. And with it staying so cold, nothing here is going away anytime soon. I don't know what the temps are where the ice hit.

That picture is so scary because it is a portent of the future. Nina is right. Climate change is real and here to stay. It's irreversible. In our last very hot, humid, drought summer, I was waiting for winter, and now there's nothing to wait for. I read somewhere in Australia it was 125. Not surprising. Brace up after this hideous winter, where all the snow we got two weeks ago is still here, summer will bring more misery. And the felon said poo on global warming, look how cold it is.

Yes, ice storms never used to happen in my younger years...weird.

Yes, a friend in north Mississippi, about an hour from Memphis, just got power back yesterday. They had to replace poles and their meter and the meter apparently took longest to get replaced.

Rob, we have been seeing many photos of Nashville, but then we aren’t but a couple of hours away. Our youngest grandson is in school there and in an apartment near downtown. I don’t think he lost power but it certainly was awful everywhere else.

OMG!!!😳

" ice storms never used to happen in my younger years...weird. "

I searched for "major" storms, there surely were many others. I don't know your age but here's what a few searches dug up:

1960s"

" Yes, there were several major, damaging ice storms in the 1960s, particularly around the turn of the decade (1960–1961) and in the latter half of the decade. Key, documented ice events during this period include:

• New Year's Ice Storm (Jan 1–3, 1961): This is considered one of the worst ice storms in U.S. history, setting a record of 8 inches of ice accumulation in north-central Idaho, which caused widespread, long-term power outages and tree damage.
• December 1964 Ice Storm (East Central NY): A significant ice storm, sometimes referred to as the "worst on record" in certain areas, coated East Central New York in up to 2 inches of ice, closing schools for a week and leaving some residents without power for two weeks.
• December 1969 Nor'easter: A massive storm system between Christmas and Dec 28, 1969, caused a severe ice storm in central New England, where glaze ice thicker than 2 inches (and up to 6 inches in parts of Vermont) built up, causing damage comparable to a hurricane.
• Early 1960s Southern Ice Storms: Specific reports indicate major ice storms in the Southeast in February 1960 and March 1960, particularly affecting areas around Asheville and Charlotte, NC. "

1970s:

Yes, the 1970s saw several catastrophic ice storms that are still remembered as some of the worst natural disasters in their respective regions.

• The 1973 "Ice Storm Felix" (Southern New England): Striking on December 16–17, 1973, this storm coated nearly all of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in up to an inch of ice. It left roughly 180,000 customers without power and caused over $15 million in damages (1973 USD) in Connecticut alone.
• The 1973 Atlanta Ice Storm: On January 7, 1973, a severe storm brought Atlanta and northern Georgia to a standstill with more than four inches of ice accumulation. It cut power to over 300,000 people, with some rural residents waiting up to two weeks for service restoration.
• The 1976 Wisconsin Ice Storm: Occurring on March 1–2, 1976, this "Great Ice Storm" is cited as one of the worst natural disasters in Wisconsin history. Freezing rain left ice deposits up to 5 inches in diameter on power lines and trees, knocking out power for 600,000 homes and businesses.
• The 1978–1979 Texas Ice Storm: Spanning from December 29, 1978, to January 4, 1979, this was considered the worst ice storm in Texas in 30 years. A giant swath of the state was hit by freezing rain that caused widespread power failures lasting for days.
• The 1978 North Carolina Ice Storms: Twin storms on January 12–13 and 19–20, 1978, devastated the region. These were part of a brutal winter cycle that also included the historic Blizzard of '78.

1980s:

Yes, the 1980s featured several severe ice storms that crippled major metropolitan areas and caused extensive damage to infrastructure.

• The 1982 "Snow Jam" Ice Storm (Southeast/Midwest): On January 12–13, 1982, a catastrophic storm hit the Jackson, Mississippi and Atlanta, Georgia areas. In Alabama, the storm left 750,000 people without power, some for weeks, and caused roughly $78 million in damages.
• The 1985 Grundy County Ice Storm (Tennessee): In January 1985, a severe ice storm shut down Grundy County for more than two weeks. More than half the county lost electricity, and students were out of school for a record 17 days due to impassable roads and utility failures.
• The 1983 "Bone Chiller" (Multi-state): From December 17–30, 1983, a massive cold wave and winter storm system brought freezing rain and record-breaking low temperatures across over a dozen states. This event is cited as one of the longest-lasting and deadliest winter weather events of the decade.
• The 1985 Lebanon Ice Storm (Tennessee/Missouri): Residents in areas like Lebanon, TN, recall this as a benchmark disaster with up to 4–6 inches of solid ice accumulation. Some residents remained without power for 24 days.
• The 1980 Pennsylvania/Maryland Glaze Storm: In November 1980, a significant freezing rain event downed utility lines and tree limbs in sections of York, Adams, and Franklin counties, interrupting service for thousands of customers.

Sarcasm Elmer. I've experienced more than a handful of very destructive ice storms in my years. According to your list they seem to have stopped sometime in the 80s...weird.

The weather is very weird this year.

We spend a couple of weeks every year in the Mayan Riviera at this time of year. (home on Sunday) This has been the lowest temperatures that I can remember. (low to mid 20’s C.) My memory is not the greatest. 🤠 It doesn’t really matter.

But Alberta has had a warm streak, setting records. We’re usually wondering if our driveway will need plowing when we get back. When we left, we had three feet of snow on the ground. Folks at home have been telling us that all the snow banks are gone, and there are bare patches in the fields. They said some days got up 68 F. Weird. And southern Alberta is already talking about wildfire danger.

Unfortunately, Feb. is when we have the Silver Skate Festival, and The World’s Longest Hockey Game that raises money for the Cure Cancer Foundation. It’s outdoors and I think it’s going to be a sloppy mess. ☹️

It’s been played in -40 degree weather quite often. They play for 11 days straight.

https://dailyhive.com/calgary/alberta-warm-weather-record-in-february

Oh my.

" Sarcasm Elmer. "

Really? How was one to know? It wasn't that out of step with other things you've said that were clearly not intended as sarcasm.

Considering the last time we had an ice storm was 1994, and it's made this list...

https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2026-01-23-ten-worst-united-states-ice-storms

And Nashville was without power for 100,000 households, but this one was for 226,000 households...

I should be very interested to see how expensive the storm is going to be.

rob, I'm not sure I understand your comment. Your link says the 1994 storm caused 2 million to lose power. I didn't think the storm of a few weeks ago, during which by comparison the presumably included Nashville number was rather smaller, was anywhere near that magnitude.

The link is for the storm I'm referencing, and nothing more. You can see it was "one of the worst" in US history. You're correct that it shows an entire area, but we are within that area. I'm not trying to use numbers from there, just emphasizing that the magnitude was great.

I already know that the 1994 storm lost power to 100,000 households in Middle Tennessee. Which is apples to apples here. 100,000 compared to 226,000.

Here's a link for that number

https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/1994-ice-storm-tn-storm-damage-2026/

I didn't understand the relevance of a link to an event 30+ years ago to the current thread.

Rob, that picture is horrendous. Someone who hasn't lived through an ice storm, lost power for an extended period in frigid temperatures, really doesn't understand the trauma of it. The larger the outage, the more human suffering and the longer everyone has to wait for repairs to resume some semblance of normalcy. Every single person affected, whether 100k or 250k understands how awful it is. Some people are incapable of understanding something not affecting them, so don't waste your breath trying.

I feel for you and everyone affected. I have lived through a couple of ice storms and they are terrifying, with trees and power poles snapping, often, the worst happening at night as the temperatures drop. I remember one week long ice storm, living in the forest, with trees and power lines snapping for days, where I insisted we drag our mattress from the 2nd floor bedroom to the kitchen floor on the first floor. It seemed if a tree was going to fall into the house that the 2nd floor above us, along with the cabinets and counters, provided a few more layers that might slow down or stop a tree. We were spared but I vividly remember how terrorized we were.

I wondered if the OPs pic was Nashville. It was. I heard one podcaster talk about living there, hearing trees falling all around them as the storm subsided. Very scary. Our globe has been changing as long as we can track it's existence. Much of the US topography was created by receeding glaciers. It's beyond comprehension anyone thinks we pion humans could get in the way of the earths aging processes.

the first spring after moving from minnesota to west central illinois, i believe it was 1976, we had a huge ice storm. we had moved into the ancient family farm house miles from civilzation. i got up in the morning, planning to go grocery shopping with my then-3 year old son, wondering why none of the lights worked. then i looked outside and was mortified to see ice covering everything. not just a little ice, a LOT of ice.

we were without electricity for 10 days. i had never seen an ice storm. in minnesota, we either had rain or we had snow but never ice. it was a nightmare. electric lines were all over across the road so leaving the farm was out of the question. we were one of the last homes to have power restored.

the other memorable ice storm hit the first week of december, 2007, a few days after i had buried the love of my life. that time, no electricity for 5 days. no heat, no running water. the worst part was that it got dark at 4 p.m. and all i could do was sit in the dark wondering how i would ever live without him. i would wait for the endless hours to tick by so i could just go to bed and surrender to sleep. i'd look at the clock, it would be 6 p.m.

we've had a few minor ice storms over the years out here but not enough coating to cause power outages, thankfully! i could go the rest of my life without seeing another one.

Ninapearl, what a shock that first storm must have been. It's bad enough if you have experienced them before, but to have your introduction be that magnitude must have been paralyzing!!

I have only experienced real ice storms a couple of times and never to that degree. But when it hits and everything is frozen, there is nothing most people can do about it. Even with all this snow still on the ground here, two weeks later, and even though the roads have been plowed, there is something that makes me feel claustrophobic. It can't melt fast enough to suit me.

I can certainly relate to those folks going through the recent ice storm. Many years ago, after a much worse one, we lost power for a week and tree limbs were scattered everywhere. The cold temperatures were the biggest challenge, especially if you ran out of fuel for heat and couldn’t go far to get more because the streets weren’t safe to drive. Though we’re blessed with both hurricanes and ice storms, I still can’t decide if I prefer one over the other.

The 1978 North Carolina storms were terrible. We were in Carrboro NC adjacent to Chapel Hill. Our oldest turned 3 on 1/24/78 our baby boy 6 months . We were living in an apartment complex and couldn’t drive anywhere. The U shaped driveway was solid ice. The pines there lean WAAAAAY over but don’t always snap. I have photos in boxes somewhere in our basement. MyDH just reminded me that we were without power but only a day and that we went to his major professors lab area at UNC to stay warm. I don’t remember how we got there ( Trailrunner)

Yes the longleaf pines are surprisingly flexible under loaded ice but not the oaks and especially Bradford pears.

" Someone who hasn't lived through an ice storm, lost power for an extended period in frigid temperatures, really doesn't understand the trauma of it. "

Not everyone having to face unexpected (and sometimes life-threatening) natural disasters finds it traumatic. Inconvenient, annoying, challenging - sure. Having or not having a traumatic reaction to an event can be very individual and differ from person to person.

A search found this:

" Trauma is often defined not just by the event, but by a person's subjective experience of feeling extreme fear, helplessness, or horror. "

My wife has relatives who live in the area. They lost power from the ice storm and it remained out for a number of days. She was in contact with them a few times a day. They thought of it as a bit of a lark and that it was an interesting experience to have with their children. Though also an unwanted and inconvenient one. Especially because of the cold.

After a few days, they wound up bunking in with a neighbor who did have power and heat and who generously offered their large house to host several neighbor families.

I was told that one shared opinion among that group of people was that all were angry about the feeble response of the local power company.

When their power returned, they welcomed being able to return to their house and return to normal And said they would have fond memories of the experience, especially because of the chance to get to know some neighbors better.

No trauma or victim's attitudes to be found with these people.

People are welcome to feel how they feel, there's no judging of any individual's response involved. No right or wrong. Blanket assumed proclamations that "everyone felt like this or felt like that" are never accurate or insightful

In the context above, “someone” refers to certain individual who lacks empathy and does not address everyone collectively. Total misunderstanding or tempest in a tea pot?

palisades, I expect nothing but such passive/aggressive comments from "certain individuals". I ignore them, they're boring and nothing if not predictable Are you one too?

Maybe those are the same drama addicts who are ready to trigger "traumatic reactions" to situations many others can deal with comfortably. My comment shared such an example of a group of people who took inconveniences in stride and made the best of them.

Are you a personal drama addict?

Lol. Of course you know I am not. Just stated the obvious. Nothing wrong with your sharing your example.

Your comment suggests otherwise and I too stated the obvious.

Somebody on the neighborhood Facebook page posted "The number one thing I learned during the storm is, that pines have no business being in Middle Tennessee". Boy there were a million of them broken into millions of pieces and split everywhere. I don't know why they didn't fare well.

Pines and other hardwood trees can only withstand extremely cold temperatures for so long. During extended freezing periods, the water inside the wood begins to freeze. As this water freezes, it expands, causing cracks in tree trunks and limbs. The added weight of ice on the trees hastens their demise.

@murraysmom "shocking" is a good description. i couldn't believe what i was seeing.

it was crazy, too, that even after many days of being w/o electricity, i still found myself walking into a room a flipping on the light switch and then realizing what i was doing. old habits die hard. 😂

I get that for sure!!! Habits are a funny thing.

Nina, I've been trying to think of something that I could do for you, or say to you, but everything falls short. I think the best thing I can say is thank you for sharing what you have. You trusted us enough to tell us. I'm sending you virtual hugs. And all of my appreciation.

@rob you are too sweet, thank you! while gary and i got togeter later in life and only had 12 years together, every day was a blessing. i know he watches over me, i feel his presence often, especially when i am struggling. 💕

i'm happy to report, almost all of our snow has melted away! our forecast is for temps in the 40s/50s over the next 10 days so i'm planning to get a LOT done outside that i haven't been able to tackle in the last 3 weeks. first on my list is poop patrol, something i normally do twice every day so it's been driving me crazy thinking about what a daunting task it will be. 🤪

Ninapearl, oh my!! That will be a herculean task!! But you have a frontloader, don't you? Just kidding.

It's been two weeks and the snow only got higher and hasn't gone away. My brother lives in Oklahoma and was surprised that it was 12º here when it was 60º there!!! Sometimes I think unkind thoughts towards him.

I wish some of the warmth of both of yours would come my way but it doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon so I will have to follow yours vicariously.

@murraysmom yes, i'll most likely take the tractor into the backyard. i'll fill the front loader up and dump everything out in the field. i have some limbs to pick up, too.

i just saw your photo! that's a LOT of snow!!! we had a total of 11" and yesterday was the first day i've seen most of the ground under it because the temps have been so low that even on sunny days, there isn't much melting. hopefully, the temps this week will take care of the lingering piles here and there. wish it would be the same for you, i bet you are so sick of looking at it!

Ninapearl, I really am!!! We were supposed to get some warm temps early this week but it's not looking very warm to me. At least the sun is shining this afternoon. And it's 4 weeks until we turn the clocks forward!! Baby steps..........