Memphis' yearly Arctic blast hasn't been punishing, but the next days depend on the people

It's becoming an annual tradition in Memphis. Somewhere between the last weeks of the year and the first months of the new year Memphis, the Mid-South, and much of the U.S. is besieged by frigid temps and frozen precipitation caused by an Arctic blast.

So far, 2024's Arctic antics have inflicted significantly less damage to the Greater Memphis area; unlike previous years that featured a heavy blanket of ice, this year's cold weather snap resulted in inches of powdery snow only.

Robert Knecht, the director of Memphis' public works division, described this year as more favorable compared to previous Arctic blasts in 2021 and 2022.

"I think the fact that we didn't have ice or freezing rain, or anything like that, it's also been actually better for us as powdery snow is a little easier to deal with, even though we've gotten so much of it," Knecht said.

The Memphis area isn't on the other side of 2024's winter weather snap; temperatures are expected to trend slightly upwards by Thursday as additional precipitation arrives, according to the National Weather Service in Memphis.

Overnight Thursday, there's a chance a return to below-freezing temperatures will freeze any additional precipitation and introduce Memphis' arguably biggest winter weather foe — ice.

So far, so good. Will it stay that way?

The icy-cold temperatures have led to an increased demand for city and county services. Numbers reported by various departments paint a picture of a functioning city infrastructure compared to previous extreme cold snaps that prompted boil water advisories, numerous winter-related deaths, and general civic anxiety.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Memphis police said, 76 car crash reports had been filed with police. The true number, a Memphis Police Department spokesperson, is likely higher. That number is included as part of the larger number of winter-related incidents including stranded motorists or transporting unhoused Memphians to emergency shelters.

Downtown at the Hospitality Hub, an emergency warming shelter reported a few dozen women and families, 58 individuals total, taking temporary refuge from the cold. The combined space for guests both at the Hospitality Hub and the Dave Wells community center is around 400 people.

So far, the Hub said, the total of visitors has stayed under capacity at both facilities. Should the next few days increase the amount of Memphians in need of shelter, a third facility can be brought online.

Knecht noted a difference between this year's response and previous frigid weather bouts has been not only a lack of ice but also supplementing the public works department with additional city employees.

Memphis has more than 6,800 miles of roadways and thoroughfares managed by the city versus 15 snow plows — some of which are work trucks retroactively fitted with a plow.

So while the demand for pretreating and plowing roads far outmatches the availability of equipment, an earlier response from public works has helped the department gain as much of an upper hand as possible.

"We have supplemented our workforce a little faster this year than we did last time so that we could have some additional plowing assets out there. So that was I think a good opportunity for us to start to get more done on top of it," he said.

The next chapter of winter response depends on Memphis' collective response

Since Friday, Memphis Light, Gas & Water President Doug McGowen has regularly warned MLGW customers that a request to conserve energy would likely occur as an expected peak demand ramps up.

Tuesday, that order became official and the publicly-owned utility asked customers to engage in a number of temporary measures — avoiding the use of large appliances like washing machines and dishwashers, unplugging electronics not in use, and restricting lighting the house to only the necessary areas.

MLGW, as a purchaser of power from the Tennessee Valley Authority, has seen very little interruption of services so far, McGowen said Monday. Outside of a few water main breaks and occasional small-scale outages, systems have run normally.

It's possible, McGowen said, for the utility company to continue operating normally. But how much Memphis and Shelby County residents participate in energy conservation measures will dictate whether rolling blackouts will be implemented in the coming days.

"We're in a very good position. TVA, who is our energy supplier, feels like they're in a very good position. But if conditions changed substantially, and we don't conserve energy when I issued that order, and we might have to do something like that," McGowen said.

Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering issues tied to hospitals, healthcare, and resource access. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis winter storm: whether aftermath stays limited depends on the public