Middle TN weather: Two dead, 157K without power after storms, high winds

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Two people are confirmed dead after severe storms and high winds triggered tens of thousands of power outages, downed trees, broke power poles and caused structural damage across Middle Tennessee on Friday.

All severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches for Davidson, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Williamson and several other counties have since lifted. A high wind warning for the entire region also expired at 6 p.m.

More than 157,000 customers were without power across Middle Tennessee as of 6:30 p.m. That was down from a peak of around 165,000 earlier in the evening.

Two weather-related deaths were reported Friday, one in Humphreys County and one in Hendersonville.

Weather deaths:Friday storms claim lives in Humphreys County and Hendersonville

Storms kicked off in Middle Tennessee around 9 a.m. and raced through the Nashville area just after 11:30 a.m. before moving east and out of the region. Several school systems, including those in Robertson, Rutherford, Wilson and Williamson counties, closed in anticipation of the high winds and storms.

The severe weather also triggered severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings in Kentucky and Alabama on Friday.

NWS Nashville released a list of the strongest wind gusts Friday evening, with the highest being 79 mph at Clarksville Outlaw Field. The Nashville airport saw a 64 mph gust. Other parts of the region ranged from 50-70 mph gusts.

Soaring power outages, widespread damage reported, flights affected

Widespread reports of damaged homes, buildings, power poles and trees spread across Middle Tennessee during the storms and the ongoing high winds.

The Nashville Fire Department reported a tree fell on a home at on Meharry Boulevard on Friday, collapsing the home. The residents were not home at the time.

Upward of 157,000 customers were without power as of 6:30 p.m., according to outage maps from Middle Tennessee Electric, Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation and Nashville Electric Service.

Roughly 101,000 outages were reported in Nashville alone as of 7:45 p.m.

Dickson Electric System called the damage to its power system "historic and catastrophic," reporting record numbers of outages that affected more than half of its customers. More than 17,000 were without power as of Friday afternoon, DCE said. Restoration efforts may take up to a week.

"This is without a doubt one of the most catastrophic storm events in our system's 118-year history, and easily the worst we've seen in decades," DES said in a Facebook post.

The Nashville International Airport temporarily barred flights from landing at the airport and was experiencing delays with departing flights, according to a spokesperson.

A commercial truck hauling 41,000 pounds of crushed aluminum cans overturned and caught fire along Interstate 65 in Robertson County around 8 a.m. Friday. Nobody was hurt. The wreck snarled traffic near Cross Plains for several hours, with southbound lanes shut down amid rush hour traffic.

A preliminary report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol showed the truck drifted out of its lane and hit a barrier wall. It was not clear from the report if high winds contributed to the wreck.

Nashville-area weather radar

Nashville forecast

Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely throughout the day into the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. High: 69; Low: 41

Saturday: Sunny. High: 62; Low: 40

Sunday: Sunny. High: 69; Low: 50

Reach reporter Rachel Wegner at RAwegner@tennessean.com or find her on Twitter @RachelAnnWegner. Reach reporter Kirsten Fiscus at KFiscus@tennessean.com or find her on Twitter @KDFiscus. Reach reporter Craig Shoup at CShoup@gannett.com or find him on Twitter @Craig_Shoup.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville weather: 2 dead, 157K without power after storms, high winds