EOC to Activate at 6 a.m. in Anticipation of Possible Severe Weather

4/24/2015

Heavy a.m. thunderstorms could affect marathon while p.m. storms bring risk of tornadoes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Metro’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will activate the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 6 a.m. Saturday in anticipation of potentially severe thunderstorms throughout the day.

The National Weather Service is predicting possible thunderstorms in the Nashville area Friday night with storms intensifying after midnight and into Saturday morning. Those storms have the potential to affect the Country Music Marathon.

Forecasters are predicting that even stronger storms could enter the Nashville area as early as 2 p.m., bringing the potential for golf-ball-sized hail, winds over 60 mph and the possibilities of isolated tornadoes.

“We are activating the EOC to help insure the safety of those participating in tomorrow’s marathon by keeping close watch on weather conditions over the next 24 hours and putting all of our safety personnel and resources on alert,” said Nashville Fire Department Chief Ricky White. “And we will be ready to act if weather conditions worsen throughout the day.”

The Country Music Marathon is set to begin at 7 a.m., but participants should check local media and social media before attending the race to check on weather conditions. Event organizers have been putting updates on their website at http://runrocknroll.com/nashville/ and on their Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/runrocknroll.

Saturday’s activation will pull together key assents from the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, Metro Fire Department, Metro Planning Department, Metro Police Department, Metro Public Works, Metro Transit Authority, Metro Water Services, Nashville Electric Service and its partners in the amateur radio community.