Before Winter Storm Fern’s destructive ice wreaked havoc across middle Tennessee, Duck River Electric had nearly 260 lineworkers and contractors strategically at the ready, thanks in part to its partnership with a homegrown, hyperlocal weather forecaster.

“Extreme weather, capable of causing major damage that can take days or weeks to repair, remains one of the greatest challenges for any electric system,” said James Wright, DREMC president and CEO. "Having trustworthy information helped us to track the ice storm and stage crews in the right locations before the storm hit. That made all the difference when it was time to begin restoration."

The Shelbyville, Tennessee-based electric cooperative restored 90% of its nearly 9,300 outages within 55 hours after Fern turned the South into tundra in late January. Half of DREMC’s members who lost power were back online within 10 hours.

Fern is the first major weather event for DREMC since the co-op teamed up with meteorologist Elijah Kirby and his digital Southern TN Weather forecast service last November. Early on, Kirby predicted Fern would bring minimal snow to the co-op’s service area but a large accumulation of ice, which can destroy trees, bring down power lines and trigger widespread outages.

At the height of the storm, he delivered livestream updates from DREMC’s headquarters and joined essential co-op staff on-site for their rapid coordination, planning and emergency response calls.

“The accurate, local forecasts from Elijah and Southern TN Weather exceeded expectations during Winter Storm Fern,” said Wright. “The regular updates throughout the weather event helped DREMC prepare faster and respond smarter.”

After the storm hit, Kirby continued to serve as a resource to other co-ops through the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association.

“He joined multiple statewide calls and followed up with other cooperatives to make sure they got the weather information they needed to support their own restoration and response,” said Erin Binkley, DREMC director of member engagement and corporate communications.

Kirby, 23, recently recalled how his childhood fear of storms grew into a deep fascination in 2009 when a deadly 170-mph tornado, known as an EF-4, hit Murfreesboro, only a 30-minute drive from his home.

“I just decided I was never going to look back, and I was going to become a meteorologist,” he said. “And here I am now, with my atmospheric science degree on the wall here in my office, and just outside the door is the Duck River Electric operations center.”

When Kirby arrived at the co-op as their official weather partner, he brought a loyal following, particularly lineworkers who rely on the young weather expert’s knowledge of the area. Kirby spent his teens delivering spot-on local forecasts on social media and has developed several channels to broadcast his weather information, including an app and a YouTube channel.

Kirby uses models and data to predict temperatures, wind and precipitation levels across the co-op’s diverse service territory, from its highest southeastern elevations to its lowest northwestern zones, and provides forecasts far more specific to the area than TV weather reports from Nashville or Huntsville, Alabama.

Driving the many backroads in the co-op’s footprint also helps, he said.

“I'm able to hone in on those fine details and really give a specific-point forecast,” said Kirby. “When I say, ‘if you live by Granny D's gas station, you need to get in the shelter,’ someone's going to say, ‘thank you for telling us.’ It's little stuff like that.”

His partnership with DREMC is “a natural fit,” he said. “Power and weather go hand in hand.”

In addition to livestreams, Kirby holds regular meetings and video briefings with key DREMC staff across the co-op’s system when storms are in the forecast. Communicators can get a heads-up on potential outages, and lineworkers can tell their families if they will be out all night restoring power.

“We can ask Elijah for information that is specific to our needs so our entire co-op can stay ahead and be ready,” said Binkley.

“Elijah gives our operations staff incredible access to hyperlocal information that helps keep our crews safe and the power flowing. That helps us to work together to serve our community.”