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Severe storms dropped hail and heavy rain and packed 60 mph+ winds across Middle Tennessee on Friday morning, triggering severe thunderstorm warnings in several counties.
The storms left a trail of downed trees and powerline, and knocked out power for more than 30,000 region-wide.
The last severe thunderstorm watches and warnings lifted by 1:15 p.m.
The NWS Storm Prediction Center placed most of Middle Tennessee under a slight risk (level 2 of 5) for severe weather for Friday. While a heat advisory is not in place today, highs are expected in the mid-90s, with a heat index in the low 100s, the forecast showed.
A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 2 p.m. for the following counties: Bedford; Cannon; Coffee; Cumberland; De Kalb; Fentress; Giles; Grundy; Lawrence; Lewis; Marshall; Maury; Overton; Putnam; Rutherford; Van Buren; Warren; Wayne; White; Williamson
Spotters in Davidson County, Montgomery County, Robertson County, Williamson County, Wilson County and others reported downed trees and power outages as storms packing 60 mph+ wind gusts moved through Friday morning.
Others reported half-inch sized hail in East Nashville and 2-3 inch sized hail in Wilson County.
Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation reported nearly 14,000 customers were without power as of 10:20 a.m. across Cheatham, Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart and Sumner counties. That number was down to around 8,500 as of noon.
Nashville Electric Service reported more than 20,000 customers without power as of 11:45 a.m. All but 1,200 people had power back as of 7:30 p.m.
Middle Tennessee Electric reported around 2,500 outages in Williamson County as of 10:20 a.m. That grew to more than 6,000 outages as of noon.
The storms pushed into Coffee County midday, where the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is underway. Festival organizers asked attendees to shelter-in-place in anticipation of a severe thunderstorm nearing the grounds around 11:45 a.m.
Concert-goers were asked to evacuate "Centeroo" — home to event main stages — and wait out the storm in each's campsite vehicle. As the storm approached, organizers instructed festivalgoers via social media to temporarily break down pop-up tents until weather.
Read more about the latest updates from Bonnaroo here.
As always, it's important to have multiple ways to get weather alerts, including cell phone push alerts from local media and weather apps; social media updates; local news coverage; and NOAA weather radios.
NWS recommends having an emergency kit you can quickly grab in case of an emergency. It should include essential supplies like food, water, flashlights, batteries, medicine, extra clothing and shoes, toiletries and even solar-powered chargers for electronic devices.
"If you get separated from family, make sure you have a place to meet or have an out-of-town contact to let know you are OK," the NWS said.
Learn more about how to prepare for severe weather and make an emergency plan at ready.gov/plan.
Highs will stay in the upper 80s to lower 90s through the weekend, the forecast showed. However, another heat wave will kick off next week, with highs nearing 100 degrees by mid-week.
"Think this week was hot? Psssh. Next week, Mother Nature's gonna be like, here, hold my beer," NWS Nashville quipped in a Friday tweet.
The Nashville Office of Emergency Management warned residents to be on the lookout for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
If you or someone you know is showing signs if heat exhaustion, act fast and move to a cooler area, loosen clothing, sip cool water and seek medical help if symptoms do not improve.
Keep in mind that heat exhaustion can also lead to heat stroke.
If you or someone you know is showing signs of heat stroke, call 911 immediately, move to a cooler area, loosen clothing and remove extra layers and cool with water or ice until help arrives.
OEM also provided a few tips on what to do for children, older adults and pets, who are especially vulnerable to the dire effects of heat.
People aged 65 years or older do not adjust as well as young people to sudden changes in temperature, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Older adults should stay in air-conditioned buildings as much as possible. If your home doesn’t have air conditioning, contact your local health department, or locate an air-conditioned shelter in your area like city community centers, libraries and other public buildings.
You should also pay close attention to your pets during the hot and humid days ahead. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals you should know:
Friday: 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mostly sunny and hot, with a heat index as high as 104. High: 97; Low; 72
Sunday (Juneteenth): Sunny. High: 90; Low 63
Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.