(DEVELOPING STORY) – Downtown Nashville took a direct hit from a tornado around 1 a.m. this morning. The Nashville Fire Department initially responding to about 40 structure collapses throughout town. Some of the hardest-hit areas in the storm include Centennial Blvd and Briley Parkway. Heavy damage was reported to planes at John C. Tune Airport. Several hangars have been destroyed and power lines are down.

Several homes and buildings were damaged in Wilson County after a tornado touched down. Strong winds tore the roof off of West Wilson Middle School.

The tornadic weather then pushed into the coverage area.

The National Weather Service issued two tornado warnings for Putnam County around 2 a.m. this morning. Soon after, significant damage was reported around Cookeville. The Crossville Fire Department was requested by Putnam County to assist them in mutual aid. Initial reports indicate there are fatalities involved with the possible tornado that hit Putnam County.

Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter issued the following statement minutes ago:

“An area on Highway 70 West from Echo Valley west to Highway 56 seems to be the hardest hit. Also Pippin Road and Locust Grove Road. Multiple homes damaged with several injuries. Several other areas also hit around this area. There are down power lines so please stay away from the area. Treat every downed power line as live. We have hundreds of first responders in the area working so please stay away from the area.”

Cumberland County was placed under a tornado warning minutes later but the storm started to fall apart as it moved across the northern part of the county at 60 miles per hour. The tornado warning was extended into the central part of Morgan County just before 3 p.m. central but was allowed to expire as the storm cell continued to weaken.

This is a developing story and more information will be released later today.