• Montgomery County officials see ponding after Wednesday night’s severe weather watch moved into Thursday morning.
• Maury County’s Mule Day festivities continue following the heavy rain, high winds and tornado warning.

With Wednesday night’s severe weather now over, Montgomery County residents and officials are surveying the damage left by the storm and prepping for more rainfall.

Though above average rainfall is predicted in Montgomery County, the rest of Middle Tennessee could be extra soggy as well into the weekend.

Wednesday was a restless night of checking weather warnings as severe weather moved through Middle Tennessee, causing tornado warnings and some flooding in surrounding areas.

Although no tornadoes made contact in Montgomery County, weather warnings sounded through the night. The county was under a tornado warning until midnight when the National Weather Service extended it until 6 a.m. Thursday morning.

As of 10:15 Thursday morning, the Clarksville Department of Electricity reports 30 power outages, affecting 291 customers.

According to the National Weather Service, Montgomery County received 2.45 inches of rain overnight.

Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Ed Baggett said some ponding resulted from last night’s rainfall.

As severe weather and rain are expected to continue this morning, Montgomery County will remain under a Flood Warning until 7 a.m. April 6, as concerns mount about rivers rising for the second time in two months.

Clarksville expects rain totals between 5 and 8.5 inches, well above the annual average in Montgomery County over just a few days.

NWS said there is a 21% chance of the Cumberland River reaching minor flood stage at 46 feet and a 7% chance the river reaches moderate flood stage at 50 feet. The Cumberland River in Dover is expected to crest near 66 feet, just shy of the record of 69.33 in 2019.

Red River flooding could impact Dunbar Cave Road and homes near the Wingate neighborhood, the weather service said. Near Dover, flooding could impact portions of River Road west of Highway 79, Bellwood Branch Road, Cross Creek Road.

“I think the heavier rains are yet to come as we head into the weekend,” Baggett said. “I don’t really anticipate it to be quite as bad as they thought it was going to be, but we are watching.”

The Montgomery County Highway Department cleared 41 trees, with more to come, said Joshua Peltz, Montgomery County Highway Department Aerial Media Specialist.

“As the threat of tornadic weather has decreased, our focus has shifted to road blockages (mostly fallen trees), blocked culverts, and monitoring areas where water could potentially crest the roadways,” Peltz said.

“There is still the possibility of supercell generation that could bring hazardous wind, hail, or tornados, but stormwater management is the primary focus currently given the predicted volume of rainfall between now and Sunday.”

Deaths reported from Wednesday night’s storm

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is reporting major damage has been reported in Fayette, Hardeman and McNairy counties.

“TEMA personnel have deployed at the request of counties and are coordinating with local officials to support response efforts,” a statement from the agency said. “There are several reports of downed trees on roadways.”

The statement has also confirmed three deaths from Wednesday night’s storm in McNairy, Obion, and Fayette counties.

Rutherford County

Throughout the night, Rutherford County maintained a lower threat level compared to other counties in Middle Tennessee.

Although the county was under a severe thunderstorm warning for most of the night as storms moved northeast from Tennessee’s western counties, official opened four storm shelters until the severe weather threat passed.

Early Monday morning, the county was under an expired tornado warning and was back under a severe thunderstorm.

A flash flood warning remained in effect until 11:45 a.m. Thursday and a flood watch continued until 7 a.m. April 6, as severe weather is expected to continue throughout the weekend.

Mule Day continues in Maury County

In Maury County, several church shelters opened for those seeking refuge from the storm Wednesday, which brought high winds, heavy rain and a tornado warning. The storm follows two tornadoes that touched down in Maury County just days before on March 31, destroying a home in the Hampshire area of Mt. Pleasant.

Meanwhile, the county’s premier event of the year, Mule Day, has not be affected in Columbia.

All Mule Day events are on track according to Louise Mills, PR director.

And the annual wagon train reached Maury County Park without a hitch after a few days of travel by mule-drawn wagons throughout counties in Middle Tennessee.

“The mule train had a fabulous week traveling and arrived at the park about 4 p.m. Wednesday,” Mills said, hours before the storms hit. 

Kerri Bartlett and Craig Shoup contributed to the story.