Nashville hit by tornado

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At least two people were killed when a tornado struck parts of Nashville and eastern communities early Tuesday, triggering warning sirens and damaging dozens of structures, according to officials and reports. Injuries were also reported.

The tornado, which was spotted about 12:30 a.m., killed two people in east Nashville, Metro Nashville police tweeted.

Nashville's fire department tweeted that it was responding to reports of 40 structure collapses around Nashville. Police said that there were multiple buildings with damage, primarily in the downtown and east precincts.

"Emergency responders are working to ensure persons can get out and secure the areas," police said.

The tornado was spotted northwest of downtown Nashville and took aim at parts of the city, National Weather Service meteorologist Faith Borden said. Mount Juliet and Lebanon also appeared hard hit, she said, but the weather service has not yet completed a damage assessment.

Police in Mount Juliet, east of Nashville, reported that the town of around 30,000 was "impacted significantly" with multiple homes damaged and multiple injuries.

"We have requested mutual aid from allied agencies. We continue to search for injured. Stay home if you can. Watch for downed power lines," the police department tweeted.

The sheriff's office in Wilson County, which is home to Mount Juliet and Lebanon, reported "extensive damage to many homes" and road hazards.

Local CBS affiliate News Channel 5 posted photos of downed power lines and damaged buildings in east Nashville. The station reported severe damage in parts of the city, including in Germantown.

Council member Brett Withers tweeted that the Five Points neighborhood took a direct hit.

Video posted to Twitter showed what appeared to be extensive damage to an apartment complex.

Main Street in east Nashville was closed at 1:30 a.m. and covered in half-fallen trees and other debris, The Tennessean newspaper of Nashville reported. Part of a building had also collapsed onto the road, the newspaper reported. Photos showed what appeared to be heavy damage to some buildings and vehicles.

Nashville metro schools said that all schools would be closed Tuesday because of damage throughout the city.

The district said all polling sites at schools would be open unless otherwise noted. Tennessee is one of 14 states voting on Super Tuesday.

Latest death toll in Nashville and the Middle Tennessee region is 19

Any word on what communities in Nashville were hit?

The Nashville Weather Service in Nashville says East Nashville and Donelson in Davidson County and Mt. Juliet in Wilson County saw damage from at least one EF-3 tornado Tuesday morning, based on damage surveyed so far.

According to NWS Nashville meteorologist Brittney Whitehead, the tornado that hit East Nashville was an EF-3 with winds of 136-140 mph.

However, Whitehead said the NWS Nashville team is still assessing the tornado that hit North Nashville.

"We haven't officially connected the paths yet," she said.

An EF-3 tornado has winds of 158-206 mph, according to the Enhanced Fujita scale. The tornado hit Mt. Juliet with winds of 155-160 mph. Donelson suffered damage from a 160-165 mph tornado.

"This is just damage observed in these neighborhoods and it might possibly be the same tornado," the NWS tweeted.

According to Nashville meteorologist Mark Rose, the tornado that hit Mt. Juliet and Donelson could likely be the same one that ravaged Middle Tennessee.

However, Rose said details about the speed and scale of the tornado that caused significant damage to North Nashville is not yet known.

Two NWS teams of three are currently surveying the areas of Davidson County and Mt. Juliet and Donelson, he said.

"We don't know the scale of the tornado yet that hit Nashville," Rose said. "We are surveying the areas and working through traffic and everything everybody else is."

The powerful and deadly storm that spawned a tornado also caused damage through Germantown and East Nashville in Davidson County and Lebanon in Wilson County.

Burger Up in East Nashville lost some of its structure and roof along just like a few other popular establishments including the Basement East. Christie's Cookies in Germantown was also significantly damaged.

n Putnam County, officials say 16 people died from the storm. Three deaths have been confirmed in Wilson County, two in Davidson County, and one person in Benton County.

In Mt. Juliet, roofs were torn off homes, schools almost leveled and electric poles and trees down. People were rescued from homes that had collapsed, just like others across Davidson and Wilson counties.