A Storm 5 Alert was issued for Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend as severe storms with damaging winds and possible isolated tornadoes moved through Middle Tennessee.
Mother Nature seemed to have big plans for this holiday weekend with several chances for severe weather.
The first hit came Saturday morning as storms and showers popped up around the area.
Then storms with heavy rain, wind, and some hail moved into the Mid-State Saturday afternoon and evening. Those storms also brought a few Tornado Warnings in our eastern counties; however, the National Weather Service had not yet confirmed if any tornadoes touched down.
Viewer Photos: Severe Weather Hits On Memorial Day Weekend
A third round hit just after 11 p.m. Saturday bringing multiple strong storms throughout our area and a Tornado Warning in Chester, Decatur, Hardin, and Henderson counties.
The severe weather brought with it several reports of downed trees across the Mid-State, as well as minor to major damage and downed power lines. At one point Saturday evening, around 11,000 people were reportedly without power throughout our entire viewing area.
Read More: Straight Line Winds Cause Damage In Putnam County
Hail was reported in multiple locations, including Cookeville, Sparta, and Lebanon. Tornado Warnings hit Saturday evening in Putnam, Cumberland, Van Buren, and White counties.
Before midnight on Saturday, the Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation reported major outages in Putnam and Smith counties. At least 60 percent of Putnam County was without power, and Carthage was also experiencing outages.
The issue was reportedly due to a tree being on TVA lines. They said they were working quickly to resolve the problem.
They released the following areas that were affected late Saturday night:
A fourth round of storms was still possible for Sunday afternoon and evening; however, meteorologists said the rain would likely push east Sunday morning bringing a mixture of sun and clouds with a few scattered showers and storms for the rest of the day on Sunday. A cold front was set to arrive Sunday evening or night.
These storms later on Sunday may not be strong, but weather officials said they were still keeping an eye on them.
The Storm 5 Alert was only set to last through 8 a.m. Sunday.
