More than 10,000 Nashville residents without power after severe storms, high winds

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Severe winds and rain downed power lines and trees, and even blew out windows across several counties on Friday evening. 

The National Weather Service said the storm may have been a derecho, a rare weather event classified by strong, straight line winds sustained over a wide path. 

At the highest point, more than 49,000 people were without power in Nashville while crews worked to repair the damage. Similar outages were reported across Rutherford County. 

As of 5 p.m. Saturday, more than 10,000 NES customers remained without power. 

The National Weather Service reported winds up to 80 mph in the storm. 

Although tornado warnings included Davidson and Rutherford counties, no touchdowns had been reported as of 9:45 p.m. in Middle Tennessee. 

Previous warnings over Davidson, Rutherford and Wilson counties were allowed to expire as the storm continued to move east, but another round of storms could reach the region late morning Saturday.

Ascend evacuated, reopened

On Friday, fans who started to gather at Ascend Amphitheater downtown ahead of a Billie Eilish concert were evacuated around 7:30 as the worst of the storms moved through Nashville.

"Please seek shelter, the show will resume once it is safe to do so," an announcer told the crowd as the NWS issued warnings throughout the evening. Fans were allowed back in after 9 p.m.

The venue was approximately 35% full when the announcement came through. 

"It's a bummer. I'm not worried. If we're safe, we'll go back in," said London Hazuka, 21, from Morgantown, West Virginia. She and her sister were decked out in neon Billie Eilish merchandise when they saw the evacuation alert. 

"I think it's a tad much," Khloe Hazuka, 15, said before the storms hit.

The sisters drove 12 hours to attend the show. Gates reopened shortly after 9 p.m. 

Wind, tree damage causes outages

Tangled power lines and a blown-out window caused Metro Nashville police to shut down the area around Third Avenue South and Demonbreun Avenue downtown while glass was cleared. 

Construction barriers toppled and pavement was damaged in downtown Nashville, but no major injuries were reported there of 9:30 p.m. 

Several other areas in Middle Tennessee also reported storm damage and outages.

La Vergne and Smyrna Police responded to power outages and closed roads because of downed trees and transformers. 

Murfreesboro Electric reported several areas without power across the city. 

Williamson County Emergency Management encouraged residents to report debris. 

NWS urged caution

When a warning is issued, residents are encouraged to take cover. 

Even if a tornado does not touch down, high, damaging winds up to 70-75 mph are possible. 

In a warning, conditions can be severe.  People and animals outdoors could be injured. The NWS warned that residents should expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows and vehicles, as well as considerable tree damage. Wind damage is also likely to mobile homes, roofs and outbuildings.

Tennessean reporter Matt Leimkuehler contributed to this report. Reach Mariah Timms at mtimms@tennessean.com or 615-259-8344 and on Twitter @MariahTimms.